An Analysis of Life Story Writing Among Foster children in France
In 2020, the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights noted significant issues with the child protection system in France, including inconsistencies between departments, that undermine the defence of children's rights. For instance, ensuring that young people enjoy the right to take charge of their own stories has not been a priority for French child protection services, despite the guarantees provided in Article 7 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and recent commitments by French political authorities. In this context, how should the issue be addressed through the practice of social work? How can family support workers guide the young people they work with in writing their life stories? How do foster children experience the process? We explore these questions through a preliminary analysis of the results of a mixed methodology research study on the life narratives of foster children. Responses to a questionnaire distributed to 250 family support workers and data collected during 15 interviews point to difficulties with putting stories into words, given the complexities associated with the construction and transmission of foster children’s life narratives. The results highlight how the opportunity to discuss their lives with family support workers helps children put their life stories into written form and adopt a narrative identity capable of overcoming difficult memories, unspoken truths, and institutional ignorance.