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Digital Life Story Work (DLSW) has emerged as a critical way to support children and young people in piecing together their past, understanding their present, and shaping their future. In recent years, numerous DLSW platforms have been launched that seek to provide a secure online space to preserve memories. However, rolling out digital platforms is not straightforward. There are intricacies that are not understood and that need to be examined.
In this study, funded by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, we examined the first widespread roll-out of a DLSW platform Caringlife in one English Local Authority. However, we did not ask if DLSW platforms ‘work’. Instead, 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 or not. We provide initial practice guidelines for commissioners (i.e. Directors of Services) and implementers (i.e. social workers and carers) to consider prior to rolling out DLSW platforms. A link to find these resources will be added shortly.