A Mixed Methods Realist Evaluation of a Digital Life Story Work Platform: What Works, for Whom, Under What Circumstances and How?

Taking pictures and videos using digital tools are an increasing feature of how children and young people with care experience are supported to reflect on their everyday experiences.

Digital Life Story Work (DLSW) platforms offer secure Internet-based repositories to store this content. Such platforms have the potential to safeguard the childhood memories of children and young people with care experience. However, rolling out digital platforms is not straightforward. There are intricacies that are not understood and that need to be examined.

In this seminar, we report on an evaluation of the first widespread roll-out of a DLSW platform in one English Local Authority. We asked why, how, when, for whom and in what circumstances such platforms can be used to support children and young people with care experience. We provide initial practice guidelines for commissioners and implementers to consider prior to rolling out DLSW platforms.

Speakers

Simon Hammond is a Associate Professor in Education at the University of East Anglia and is also the lead for the LANTERN research group.

Kiyia Atkinson is part of the Care Leavers National Movement (CLNM). Kiyia has contributed to numerous projects on life story work. In the current project, Kiyia worked alongside the research team as a co-researcher with the aim of bringing the lives and experiences of care leavers, foster carers, and other related professionals to bare helping answer how, when, why and in what circumstances Digital Life Story Works platforms work (or do not work) in social care.