toolkit

The Ecomap was developed by Dr. Ann Hartman. It was designed as a visual diagram that shows how someone relates to others. The connections between the individual and their formal/informal connections can be positive or negative but is discussed in a strength-based approach.

• Obtain a sheet of blank paper and a pencil to begin the process
• Draw the person in a large circle
• Smaller circles are drawn around the client’s circle to represent people, groups, etc. that they have a relationship with.  
• Draw the type of connections between the client and each connection in smaller circles
• Make sure to draw a definition of each Ecomap legend
• Arrowheads should be used at the end of each line to indicate the direction in which resources flow or the level of mutuality of the relationship
• Make sure to include a date
• This is just a starting point of a discussion

• "Who is important to your life?"
• "Who do you spend most time with?"
• "What groups, activities or memberships do you hold or belong to?"
• "Who do you talk to in your neighborhood? "
• "Is anyone missing?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTjrkFneXr8

A lifebook is a collection of a child's memories, important items and mementos, photos, drawings, journals, and anything else that is important to the child.  A lifebook brings together a child’s past, present, and future. It's purpose is to document a child’s history, celebrate accomplishments, and allow his or her talents to shine.  It is a record of a child’s life in his or her own words.  

Lifebooks can be preserved in a binder, photo album, or scrapbook, but can also be collected digitally, as a box of trinkets or in many other creative ways. The possibilities are endless!

While it's best to start a lifebook when the child is first placed in foster care, it's never too late to start.

The lifebook belongs to the child.  The child decides who can look at it. If the child moves, the lifebook goes with them.

Below are some helpful links that offer more information about lifebooks but also downloadable templates and tools to help get you started! 

https://fosteringperspectives.org/fpv17n2/lifebooks.html

https://www.mare.org/Resources/Lifebook

http://www.ifapa.org/publications/IFAPA_Lifebook_Pages.asp

Mobility mapping is used to explore the movement pattern of an individual or group. The goal of using this tool is to reawaken the child’s memory and generate a discussion between the child and worker. While exploring the map, it can reveal a child’s daily routines, important connections and geographical characteristics. One of the things it does is focus on positive memories instead of traumatic events such as being separated from family. The exercise is simple as it only requires paper, pencil and the worker’s engagement techniques.

• After establishing a rapport with the child, explain that you would like to learn more about him or her to help trace family and relatives through drawing a picture (map). 
• Draw a small house in the middle of the paper. Explain that this represents the his or her house. Now ask the child to draw all the places around the house that he or she used to go to. 
• After you have verified that the child understands the exercise, allow him or her time to draw without interruption. Be patient and encouraging. 
• Once the child finishes, label each place on the map. Ask the child to label any places added to the map.
• Then ask the child to mark all the places that he or she liked best with a particular color of pencil or sticker.  
•  Interview the child regarding their most liked places first

•  “Tell me about this place. Why do you like it?”
• “Who did you visit there?”
• “What is your favorite memory of this place?”

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbb5SD5hQyA&t=197s 

The WIT-Y is a guided self-assessment tool for youth ages 15-21 that encourages youth to explore their own sense of well-being across eight domains by asking them to rate each domain on a five-point continuum, ranging from “In Crisis” to “Doing Great.” Examples of varying levels of well-being are presented to facilitate this process. At the end of the tool, the youth will be given a graphic representation (called the Well-being Snapshot) of their well-being levels in each domain. The tool is intended to promote discussion between youth and their worker but could be used in a number of other ways. 

Anu Family Services contracted with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota to develop the Well-being Indicator Tool for Youth (WIT-Y). 

https://www.anufs.org/tools-research/well-being-indicator/

The Youth Connections Scale (YCS) was developed in order to fill a need in child welfare: To evaluate and measure the increased efforts of agencies to improve the relational permanence of youth in foster care.  The YCS was developed by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota in partnership with Anu Family Services.   

https://cascw.umn.edu/portfolio-items/youth-connections-scale-ycs/