Life story work with children in kinship care workshop
For: kinship carers
The advice in this workshop applies to England
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Our kinship carer workshops
Our workshops are only for kinship carers.
Whether you have a legal order, such as a special guardianship order, or your arrangement is private within your family, these workshops are for you.
You’ll be in a safe space with other kinship carers just like you.
If you’re not a kinship carer, please do not book.
What the workshop covers
Loss of identity is something that many children struggle with when they go into kinship care. That’s where life story work comes in, and this workshop will help you understand how to carry it out. Developed by university lecturers Dr Paul Shuttleworth and Michelle Hall, it covers:
- what life story work is and the positive impact it can have on a child’s:
- mental health
- emotions
- self-esteem
- identity
- how to make life story work relevant to your kinship child, thinking about:
- their needs
- their situation
- the impact on the wider family
- the research into life story work and the different strategies you can use to complete it
- what to do during difficult conversations when doing life story work and how to practice self-care
After the workshop, we’ll email you a copy of the presentation slides and some links to helpful resources.
What to expect in the workshop
Our online workshops give you a chance to learn about this topic in the comfort of your own home.
We use Zoom, a free platform that you can access from a:
- desktop computer
- laptop
- tablet
- phone
We’ll email you some support guidance for using Zoom when you book a place.
Structure of the workshop
This workshop lasts 2 hours.
Our presenters will give everyone a few minutes to join and then get started. You can ask questions as we go along by typing into Zoom’s chat tool. You don’t have to ask questions if you’d rather not. You might still find it useful to listen to others’ questions.
We’re there to support you
If you’re feeling nervous, or worried about being in a virtual room with new people, we’ll be there to support you.
Our friendly trainers will welcome you into the room and start with introducing you to the main Zoom functions.
Taking part in the workshop
We want you to be comfortable in the session. Zoom gives you the options of having your camera off or on, so if you want to keep some anonymity in the virtual room, you can. You’ll only need to add your first name to join the Zoom call.
If you’re concerned about sharing your story or experiences, we won’t ask you to. It’s up to you how much you share and we’ll respect your choices. You’ll find that some people like to share, and others prefer to listen and learn from others’ experiences.
If you do feel comfortable getting involved, you’ll get a chance to:
- ask questions
- chat to other kinship carers
- talk to our trainers after the workshop
If you feel ready to book, fill out our booking form.
Get in touch
If you’ve got any questions about our masterclasses, fill out this form and one of our friendly team will get back to you.
We run workshops and events for kinship carers online as well as all over England. Take a look at what else we’ve got coming up.
Book your space
To book your free place, complete our short form by clicking the button below.
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