Stories from Foster Care

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh Barrett talks to Clodagh Downes. Clodagh was in relative foster care as a child and since then she has been on a journey through education in social care, working in disability services and now working with Tusla in the area of Feedback and Complaints, a role that […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Clodagh Downes first appeared on Nearc...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Andrew Murphy talks to Scott and Tristan Casson-Rennie about their adoption and fostering journeys as a same-sex couple. The conversation then focuses on their passion, as founders of FASD Ireland, to bring awareness about the effects of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) to all areas of Irish […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Scott and...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Andrew Murphy is speaking with Maureen Gannon. Maureen has been fostering for over 13 years and three years ago began offering emergency placement care. Drawing from her experience of over 150 placements, Maureen talks about the role models that inspired her to become a foster carer, the […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Maureen Gannon first...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh is speaking with Elizabeth Ward and Bridget Power, Traveller women who are family access workers at Exchange House Ireland National Travellers Service in Dublin. In a wide-ranging and illuminating conversation about the experiences of Traveller children in care, they touch upon their own upbringing as Travellers, […] The post Stories from Fo...

Part 2 of 2 – Part one is available here and on Spotify here In this two-part interview, Niamh is speaking with Katie Wrench. Katie is a social worker, art psychotherapist and author. She and her family have also been respite foster carers. Katie was IFCA’s keynote speaker at its 2022 conference, Wrapped in Relationships. […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Katie Wrench part 2 firs...

In this two-part interview, Niamh is speaking with Katie Wrench. Katie is a social worker, art psychotherapist and author. She and her family have also been respite foster carers. Katie was IFCA’s keynote speaker at its 2022 conference, Wrapped in Relationships. Katie Wrench is a deeply experienced, empathetic and engaging communicator. She has so much […] The post Stories from Foster Care –...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Andrew is speaking with Kai Brosnan. Kai spent time in residential care and he shares his lived experience in a way that dispels a few myths and encourages a better understanding of it. Kai speaks movingly about the people, organisations such as EPIC, and even the beloved […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Kai Brosnan first appeared on Nearca...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh is talking to Andrea Reilly. Andrea is a passionate advocate for other young people, particularly those with lived experience in care. Andrea is committed to shining a light on the misunderstood, under-acknowledged and under-diagnosed condition of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) by speaking from her own […] The post Stories from Fost...

In this latest episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh talks to father and foster daughter Niall Sheehan and Lauren O’Toole. An honest and wide-ranging conversation about the ups and downs of foster care, and a glimpse into a deep fostering relationship. Stories from Foster Care is a podcast series from The Irish Foster Care Association, subscribe […] The post Stories from Foster Care – N...

In this latest episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh talks to Shaunagh Cunningham about her childhood experiences before being taken into care, her current work as an advocate for children in care through the Care Experiences project, and her perspective as a member of Tusla staff. The conversation with this passionate young advocate is […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Shaunagh C...

Our guest on this episode of the Stories from Foster Care podcast is Fiona Neary, author of Parcels in the Post: Growing up with Fifty Siblings. She joins Niamh over Zoom for an honest, reflective and wide-ranging conversation which touches on many aspects of the care system in Ireland. Fiona shares her experiences of fostering […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Fiona Neary first appear...

In this episode of the podcast Niamh talks to Sadie Harpur, author of The Hidden World of a Foster-Girl (co-written with journalist and author Jackie Hayden). Sadie talks about her experience in infancy of undergoing multiple moves in care, her relationships with her twin sister Kizzy and her birth- and foster-families, and some of the […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Sadie Harpur fir...

Our guests on the twelfth episode of the Stories from Foster Care podcast are Josie Corr and Thomas Monahan, a foster carer and her now-adult foster son who join Andrew Murphy over Zoom. In a reflective and honest conversation they talk to Andrew about their lives together in fostering. Among other topics, they explore the […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Josie Corr and Thomas Monahan...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh sits down with social worker Sola Mobolaji and family support worker Doris Abuchi-Ogbonda to talk about how foster carers and others can support African children in care. Together they explore the experiences of unaccompanied minors and the challenges for young people of navigating the asylum process. […] The post Stories from Foster Care –...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Andrew Murphy talks to Lisa Clancy. Lisa and her family are fostering three children with disabilities. Lisa gives a powerful insight into the ups and downs of the day-to-day experiences of fostering and she shines a light on just what it takes to care for children with […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Lisa Clancy first appeared on Nearcast...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Niamh Barrett of IFCA talks to Dr Danielle Douglas. Danielle is a care-experienced academic and researcher at the South East Technological University, and a former relative foster carer who reflects on a lifetime of experience of the care system in Ireland from all of these perspectives. Her […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Dr. Danielle Dou...

On the latest episode of Stories from Foster Care Niamh Barrett talks to Catherine Joyce. For over 35 years Catherine has been a member of the Irish Traveller’s human rights movement. She’s also a theatre-maker and collaborator. She is a strong advocate for the rights of Traveller children, including Traveller children in care, and has […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Catherine Joyce...

In this latest episode of Stories from Foster Care, Andrew Murphy talks to Harold Barber and Michael Shannon about their experiences of coming into fostering as a gay couple, and about fostering separated young people who come to Ireland as migrants. In a wide-ranging chat, they speak compassionately and honestly about some of the challenges […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Harold Bar...

Paul Harrison has occupied roles in the care system in Ireland for decades, ranging from working as a social worker in child protection in the Eastern Health Board to management in Tusla—Child and Family Agency. In our conversation he talked about some of the experiences that have stayed with him over the years, some of […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Paul Harrison first appeared on...

In this episode of Stories from Foster Care, Andrew Murphy of IFCA talks to members of the fostering community whose voices sometimes go unheard – foster fathers. Andrew talks to Ric Panza and Raymond Nolan about what drew them to fostering, how years of experience have changed their perception of the foster carers’ role, and […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Ric Panza and Raymond Nola...

Our guest on the fourth episode of the Stories from Foster Care podcast is Sandra Parker, a foster carer who is now also working with Tusla—Child and Family Agency to train other prospective foster carers. Sandra, from Clonmel in Tipperary, is from a family of foster carers (two of her three sisters also foster). She […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Sandra Parker first appeared on Nea...

World-renowned hockey goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran is our guest on this episode of the Stories from Foster Care podcast. Ayeisha chats to us about hockey as a source of support through the difficult years after her mother died and she came into the care system. She tells us about the people who supported her in her […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Ayeisha McFerran first appeared on Nea...

Our guest on the latest episode of the Stories from Foster Care podcast is Justice Catherine McGuinness. Catherine is the patron of The Irish Foster Care Association, a retired Supreme Court judge and an advocate for the rights of children in Ireland for many decades. Niamh Barrett and Catherine discuss her early life in Belfast, […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Justice Catherine McGu...

Our guest on this inaugural episode of the Stories from Foster Care podcast is Anne McCluskey, a foster carer and retired school principal. We talked about Anne’s journey as a foster carer, and her perspectives on supporting foster children through the education system. Anne is a passionate advocate for the rights of children in care […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Anne McCluskey fir...

Stories from Foster Care is a brand new podcast brought to you by The Irish Foster Care Association. Join host Niamh Barrett as she meets people from all walks of life who have different experiences of foster care in Ireland. Listen to Stories from Foster Care on Spotify, Apple, Nearcast or wherever you get your […] The post Stories from Foster Care – Trailer first appeared on Nearcast .