Children who are separated from their birth families and go through the care system are usually given life storybooks with information put together by their social worker about their heritage and past that may otherwise be missing, lost or forgotten.
In the study of 40 parents with 57 adopted children by voluntary adoption agency and charity Coram, schools were criticised for not dealing with children’s life storybooks in a sensitive manner.
Parent adopters from England and Wales participated in either focus groups or telephone interviews. Their adopted children ranged from the age of two to 15.
Adopters who took part in the study recounted stories of school staff dealing with children’s life storybooks in ‘highly unprofessional’ ways.
One parent said, ‘She [her child] talked about the life storybook in circle time and with good friends and the teacher cried.’ Another child had reportedly told a teacher about some of her past history, including when she was sexually abused, and the teacher commented, ‘There are a lot worse off children than you out there.’
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