From Case File to Co-Author: Giving Young People a Voice in Their Life Story

A record about them. Or a story built with them.

There is a difference.

For many young people in care, important parts of their history are spread across case notes, placement files, school records, photographs, memories and conversations. Some details are missing. Some accounts use words they would never choose for themselves.

Participatory life story work creates another way.

It gives young people space to ask questions, add their own words and shape how their story is understood. Not as a replacement for formal records or safeguarding processes. As a personal, human record alongside them.

A case file is not the whole person

Case files have an essential role. They hold decisions, assessments, plans and information that professionals need to protect and support a child.

But a case file is usually written for adults and systems.

A life story is different. It helps a young person explore:

• Who am I?
• Where have I come from?
• Who matters to me?
• What has shaped me?
• What do I want people to understand?

Research in Practice describes life story work as work that brings together a child’s experiences, feelings, questions, memories and understanding of what happened. It is about doing as well as talking.

The young person should not only appear in the story as a subject.

They should have the opportunity to become its co-author.

Voice means more than being asked

Being asked for an opinion is important.

Being able to influence what happens next is stronger.

The NICE participatory study with looked-after children and young people found that young people valued having influence over decisions in their own lives. They also highlighted the importance of being listened to, receiving clear information and being told the truth.

That matters in life story work too.

A young person may choose:

• Whether they want to explore a particular part of their history today.
• Which words feel right.
• Whether something is written, photographed, recorded or represented creatively.
• What they want to keep private.
• Who they want to contribute.
• Who they want to see or hear the finished story.

These are not decorative choices.

They are part of building identity, trust and ownership.

Start with the present

Life story work can feel heavy if it begins only with difficult events.

A safer starting point may be the young person’s life now.

Their favourite song. A football team. A friendship. A place they feel comfortable. A meal they enjoy making. A school achievement. A pet. A joke that always makes them laugh.

Everyday moments matter.

They show a young person as a whole person, not just through the circumstances that brought them into care.

Starting with the present can also make it easier to move gently towards questions about the past. The pace can belong to the young person. A trusted adult can notice when to pause, change direction or come back another day.

This is the heart of participatory life story work: the work is shaped around the individual, rather than asking the individual to fit a fixed template.

Give control a clear shape

“Have your say” can sound empowering, but it needs to mean something in practice.

A useful conversation can cover four areas.

What belongs in the story?

Ask what the young person wants to include.

This might be a school report, a photograph, a birthday memory, a message from a sibling, a piece of artwork or a short account of an important day.

It may also include something they do not want included.

Both choices matter.

How should it be described?

Adults and young people may describe the same event differently.

Rather than quietly choosing the adult version, make space for both perspectives. Ask:

• “What words would you use?”
• “Does this sound like you?”
• “Is there anything you would change?”
• “Would you rather record this in your own voice?”

A young person may prefer a direct quote, an audio note, a drawing or a few simple words. Their way of expressing something is part of the meaning.

Who can contribute?

A life story is often richer when trusted people contribute thoughtfully.

That could include a foster carer, social worker, sibling, birth family member, residential worker, teacher, independent reviewing officer, personal adviser or friend.

But contribution should not mean open access.

The young person and the adults around them should agree who can add content, what each person can see and when information should be shared. Privacy, consent and safeguarding remain central.

What happens when the answer is not known?

There may be questions nobody can answer yet.

Why did a move happen? Where is a family member now? What was life like before a certain age? Why was a decision made?

The answer should never be filled with assumptions.

Instead, record what is known. Name what is not known. Add what is being explored. Return to the question when new information becomes available.

“ We do not know yet” can be more respectful than a confident story that does not belong to the young person.

Let the young person choose the medium

Writing does not suit everyone.

Some young people may want to type. Others may prefer to talk, draw, select images, record audio or build a timeline from small moments.

Creative methods can make participation more accessible, particularly for children with additional communication needs or young people who find direct conversation difficult. The NICE study used choices including art, music, storytelling, collage and visual prompts so participants could decide how they wanted to express themselves.

A strong life story process does not ask, “How do we get this child to write?”

It asks, “How does this young person want to tell us?”

Keep the story moving with the young person

Traditional life story books can hold precious memories.

They can also be lost, damaged or left behind when a child moves home. New information may sit elsewhere. Everyday moments may never be recorded. A young person may receive the book years later, without having had much say in how it was created.

A digital space can support a more continuous approach.

Storyteller’s secure collaborative Living Memory Box allows trusted adults and young people to add photos, words, audio, videos, documents and milestones over time. A young person can add their own voice alongside contributions from the people who care about them.

It can help keep the story present during placement changes, rather than waiting until a major transition or adulthood.

The aim is not to turn life story work into another administrative task.

It is to create a private space that feels like theirs.

Storyteller is designed to complement formal records, care planning, professional judgement and safeguarding duties. It does not replace case management systems, statutory recording or the careful work of social workers and carers.

It gives the personal story somewhere to live too.

What each person can do

For young people

You can decide what feels important to you.

You can add your own words, pictures, voice notes and milestones. You can ask questions. You can say when something does not sound right. You can choose what you want to revisit and what you need more time to understand.

Your story does not have to look like anyone else’s.

For foster carers and residential carers

Notice the small moments.

Capture the first day at a new school, a favourite meal, a new skill, a funny story or a place that feels safe. Ask before adding something personal. Let the young person lead the tone and pace.

A memory does not need to be dramatic to matter.

For social workers and practitioners

Make authorship part of the conversation.

Explain the purpose of the work. Be clear about access and confidentiality. Separate known facts from professional interpretation. Use language the young person can understand. Check how they want difficult information represented.

Offer advocacy or trusted support where that would help them take part.

For IROs and children’s services leaders

Ask whether participation is visible in the process.

Can the young person see what has been added? Can they challenge the wording? Are unanswered questions tracked honestly? Does the approach continue after a placement move? Are carers and practitioners supported to do this well?

A platform alone cannot create participation.

Relationships, time, honesty and follow-through make it real.

A story that keeps belonging to them

Young people in care should not have to wait until adulthood to discover the story held about them.

They should have opportunities, throughout childhood and beyond, to understand their history and add to it. To see the people, places, achievements and ordinary moments that make them who they are.

Participatory life story work does not promise a simple answer to every question.

It offers something more honest.

A shared process. A trusted space. A growing record that recognises the young person as a person with views, choices and their own way of making meaning.

“It’s nice to think like... I look back on that picture now and everyone’ll say oh, I look exactly the same... whereas I see someone completely different. It’s nice to see how I’ve physically grown and mentally grown, to be the person I am today.”

Jack, aged 14, young person, shared with consent

That is the difference between a record written about someone and a story built with them.

Let’s make life story work more participatory

We would be glad to show you how Storyteller can support young people, carers and professionals to build a Living Memory Box together.

✓ A tailored walkthrough for your service
✓ A focus on your current life story process
✓ Time to explore privacy, permissions and safeguarding
✓ No obligation to proceed

Let’s start a conversation.

Learn more about Storyteller for Children’s Services, or read about trust and security.