Journal article
A mixed methods realist evaluation of a Digital Life Story Work platform: what works, for whom, under what circumstances and how?
- Abstract:
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Life Story Work is a fundamental in children’s state care. It is a process of helping children make sense of their experiences to promote their well-being. As society increasingly uses online repositories to store digital artefacts, interest in commissioning Digital Life Story Work (DLSW) platforms grows. However, why, how, when, for whom, and in what circumstances such platforms may help support children with experience of living in state care is unknown. Addressing this gap, we report on the first widespread rollout of a DLSW platform across one English Local Authority. Utilizing a participatory realist evaluation approach, we collected data from 119 participants and involved peer-researchers throughout. This article presents our final programme theory. This illustrates that DLSW is more likely to be optimal when it is: flexible and person-centred; provides future storytelling prompts; starts early; begins in the present; involves children, and constantly offers participation choices; records all aspects of everyday experiences and; when appropriate training and support is available. Findings provide key considerations for commissioners and implementers and begin to build a picture of how DLSW platforms may become embedded in supporting children with experience of living in state care.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 985.4KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1093/bjsw/bcaf054
Authors
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Journal:
- British Journal of Social Work More from this journal
- Volume:
- 55
- Issue:
- 5
- Pages:
- 2421–2440
- Publication date:
- 2025-05-21
- Acceptance date:
- 2025-02-10
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1468-263X
- ISSN:
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0045-3102
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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2125302
- Local pid:
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pubs:2125302
- Deposit date:
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2025-05-21
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Hammond et al
- Copyright date:
- 2025
- Rights statement:
- © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All oth
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