Unfortunately, some children and young people who are looked after, experience multiple moves and it is crucial for them to be able to piece together their childhood years. Things that many people may take for granted…like what was their favourite toy, game, book or TV show as a child, may be elusive to a child or young person who has been fostered. An adult who spent some of their childhood living in a certain geographical area may want to know more about the area, who they lived with, what school they went to…who their friends were, etc. Some details may offer a person insight into aspects of their personality, why they favour certain foods and why certain smells are attractive to them, for instance.
At Chrysalis Care, we ensure that all children and young people have a memories memory box, which includes memorabilia, cards and photographs, etc, which they take with them when they leave. This is the case whether the child is with a family short term or longer term. When they are old enough, the young adult may want to retrace their steps and make contact with the people who were significant in their life and more often than not, a foster carer would be happy to hear from them and find out how they are doing.
With whole-lot-of-history social media playing such a role in many people’s lives, memorabilia can provide enough clues to help a care experienced adult in their quest to explore the what, who, when and where of their formative years. In fact, Chrysalis Care recently received a social media message from a young adult placed with one of their foster carers more fifteen years ago. They had a clutch of photographs, foster carer first names and a birthday card and we were happily able to reconnect them with the foster carer, with whom they had spent a number of their early years.