Lifebooks
Links to Free Blank Lifebooks
Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (IFAP)
IFAPA has created over seventy free lifebook pages for foster and adoptive families and social workers to use. IFAPA created these lifebook pages to allow a child to pick the pages that fit his or her style. Each page can be downloaded and printed separately which allows a child the ability to hand-select a preferred page.
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange
These Lifebook pages are a tool that can be useful in any stage of foster care or adoption. The pages can be individually downloaded and printed, allowing the child to hand- select pages they are interested in. It is important to note that not all pages need to be used, only the pages appropriate to the child. Once the pages are printed, it is recommended they be placed in a three-ring binder.
Story of Me
Created in partnership with Ampersand Families, Shutterfly based drag and drop lifebook, with pages that have text options as well.
View the customizable lifebook on Shutterfly
New South Wales
The government of New South Wales (NSW) on the east coast of Australia has the following two publicly available lifebooks for foster parents to complete with the children in their care:
My Life Story Book: My Life Story Book has been developed to assist children and young people in out-of-home care develop a sense of self, in relation to their life experiences. It is a chronological account of the child or young person’s history, and should be started when the child enters out-of-home care and maintained throughout their time in care.
Aboriginal Life Story Book: The Aboriginal version of My Life Story Book supports Aboriginal children in out-of-home care in understanding more about their cultural identity and in developing a sense of connectedness to family, kinship groups and the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people placed in care have similar needs to non-Aboriginal children. However, there are differences that are specific to Aboriginal children and young people.
My Life Story Book – Aboriginal version (PDF)
The Children’s Psychological Health Center, San Francisco, CA
The Personal Life History book contains a template which is intended to be used as part of therapeutic life story work. As a 30 session brief psychotherapy tool, the Personal Life History Book is designed to help children reduce their transfer rates to new homes. The child’s distress is channeled into a personal record book of positive memories as well as traumatic ones. This enhances the sense of personal continuity and conscious access to mental rather than behavioral representations of past relationships. Any or all members of the child’s network may be included: birth parents, foster parents, caseworker, and extended family members. In addition to children in formal foster care, the Personal Life History Book is useful for: children of incarcerated parents, in the process of family reunification following foster care placement, in guardianship homes, and in homes with relatives.
The Personal Life History Book – A Manual for Preventive Psychotherapy with Foster Children (PDF)
Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center
All About Me Books honor Oregon’s children in care. They are a way to reiterate to every child who enters the foster care system that their story, perspective, culture and identity matter. Anchoring children in “the now” helps them to better process their past while embracing their future. ODHS Child Welfare has taken the bold and exciting step of adding All About Me books into procedure for all children experiencing care!
ORPARC’S Library | Choose from 50+ themes All About Me Templates