"An Adoption Life Book is a record of a
foster/adoptee’s life that uses words, photos, graphics, the child’s artwork,
and memorabilia. An Adoption Life Book includes information about the child’s birth
parents and reason for leaving them. It always starts at the child’s birth.
Plus the fun part of when the adopted child first joined the family.
An Adoption Life Book is more than a life story. It
is a unique opportunity for parents to honor every minute of their children’s lives.
It is the single most meaningful piece of "paperwork" that any social worker can
complete. And foster parents? You can give an adoptee/foster child a sweet childhood
memory.
Q. What
are some of the benefits of an Adoption Life Book?
An adoption life book provides:
Q. Why doesn’t everyone know about Adoption Life Books?
Starting in the 1970’s Life Books were used in
the public sector for foster children.Then the " crack cocaine epidemic" started
in the early 1980’s and social workers no longer had time to do anything but the
basics. Adoption or foster Life Books were a forgotten tool.
Private agencies placing infants didn’t think
their clients had adoption issues, hence no need for LifeBooks. A social worker actually
told me this last year and inspired my statement " Even cute babies have
questions."
International adoptions didn’t have any
specific information so what was there to discuss in the LifeBook? Lots….
Q.
What’s different now?
With the Internet, information about every aspect
of adoption is sweeping the country. Plus with the new adoption law, Adoption and Safe
Families Act ( ASFA) foster children are mandated to have families instead of growing up
in foster care.
The word is getting out about what an incredible
tool Adoption Life Books are. The benefits are numerous.
Q.What’s the best
format for an Adoption Life Book?
