The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

Hello and welcome to the A&F podcast.  As part of our look at the issue of adoption disruption in this episode I chat to Charlotte Jenkins. She is the founder of Beacon Family Services but acting as an independent social worker chairs adoption disruption meetings.  It’s a hugely sensitive subject matter and Charlotte explains how bringing together professionals and parents they can potentially...

This month we’re exploring how our different lenses - our lived experiences, values, and professional knowledge, shape the way we see and interpret behaviour. They influence how we respond, the language we use, and even whether we view something as needing a safeguarding referral or as an opportunity for support and connection. By becoming aware of our own lenses and being open to those of others,...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F podcast.  In this episode I speak to adoptive parent Cath who is parenting from a distance, a position  that many adoptive families find themselves in. Often parents struggled to meet the complex and high needs of children with the challenges of ensuring children remain safe also added into the mix.  When this happens it can characterised as a br...

Hello and welcome to our Kinship week live with Dr Paul Shuttleworth. We chat about the voices of children and Dr Paul's new book, Listening to Children about Kinship care, child welfare and permanence. You can download the book for free here and please do as Dr Paul worked hard to ensure it was available at no cost and we want to support the excellent work he's doing.  We do chat more broadly abo...

Hello and welcome to the A&F podcast.  Over the next episodes we’re focusing our gaze on the issue of adoption disruption. It’s a hugely sensitive subject matter with the impact on children, adults and professionals often being catastrophic.  Here I speak to Fiona Wells, Adult adoptee, adoptive parent, social worker and director of PATCH   She has direct experience of the challenges that famil...

Hello and welcome to this episode of the A&F podcast, we're on the cusp of Kinship week so we look a the report published this week "Handle With Care: Annual survey of kinship carers 2025" view here . Parts of it dovetail with the DfE's Family Routes: Children who return to care research which we discuss and you can view here .  Of course we banter around the issues and unpack our takes, or at...

Hello and welcome to the A&F podcast.  Over the coming episodes we’re focusing our gaze on the issue of adoption disruption. It’s a hugely sensitive subject matter and we’ve talked to a range of people and professionals impacted by it, we haven’t spoken to children or adult adoptees. That’s more a reflection on our network not a policy decision. Here I speak to solicitor Nigel Priestley from R...

Hello and welcome to the A&F podcast.  Over the next episodes we’re focusing our gaze on the issue of adoption disruption. It’s a hugely sensitive subject matter with the impact on children, adults and professionals often being catastrophic. We’ve talked to social workers, adoptive parents, adult adoptees, solicitors and adoptive parents but not children.  Here I speak to Ruth and she shares h...

Hello and welcome to this, what feels like a marker in the year, episode looking at the 2025 Adoption Barometer ( click here ). We get AUK’s Becky Brooks on to run us through what we know and new stuff. We unpack some of the news before we get to that, ie a new children’s minister, FASD Ireland’s very exciting new report ( click here ) and Al’s peer support community, Walking with Families, ( clic...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network.  In this episode I speak to Caitlyn Newblé the CEO and founder of All in the therapy of music. She shares her experience of the transformational influence music brought to her. Her vision is to make music accessible and affordable by bringing experienced and advanced musicians into schools.  You can visit her website here .  As always if...

This month’s podcast is all about Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). It’s a tough but really important conversation. We chat about how this issue shows up in the lives of children and young people, especially in schools and online, and why it matters so much for those of us working with or parenting children and young people. It’s not about policy or box-ticking, it’s about the real impact,...

Hello and welcome to this episode, a conversation with Bryan Post.  We were delighted to get the opportunity to speak to him at the end of August. He was a generous guest and shares some of his personal experience and his professional expertise. Bryan has authored many books, trained professionals and has inspired many adoptive parents as he shares from his life, practice and extensive knowledge....

Hello and welcome to this follow on episode of my Churchill Fellowship. In this  episode I speak to Tracy Moisan  from Canada who is the national director of the National Consortium on Aggression Towards Family / Caregivers in Childhood & Adolescence (AFCCA). The Consortium exists to increase awareness of AFCCA across Canada, to amplify the voices of youth and their families, and to mobilize k...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F podcast.  A few months ago I was contacted by Karine Tremblay an adoptive parent, social worker and researcher in relation to her work on the impact of living with children with challenging and aggressive behaviour. So, we arranged to speak, it’s a conversation and topic that sits really comfortably within the remit of my Churchill Fellowship and...

In this episode we speak to Dee Mills, she's an adoptive parent and had written a book 'Your Adopted Child at School: Making The Right Choices & Getting The Education They Need' drawing on her extensive challenges as an adoptive parent with the school system. Dee is certainly not anti school but full of useful tips and advice born from lots of interaction with teachers and schools. We had a cr...

In this episode, we’re talking all things school holidays and how to support children through long stretches of unstructured time while gently stretching their independence. We explore why holidays can feel overwhelming for some children (especially those with trauma histories or neurodivergence, how to build skills and resilience  without pushing too far, the importance of strong, safe relationsh...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network.    In this episode I speak Dr Maude Champagne from Interwovern connections based in Ontario Canada. Following on from her PHD Maude  in collaboration with other professionals she has written what is, in my opinion, an excellent book. It’s called DECODING AGGRESSION, COMPLEX BEHAVIOURS AND BRAIN-BASED DISABILITIES and the link is in the s...

In this episode we speak to Euan Preston and Gillian Elam from the Potato Group. They recently published their report 'Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons From Lives Impacted by Trauma' drawing on the experiences of 400+ adoptive families. The report highlight some of the complexities and challenges faced by children and parents accessing appropriate support and how services struggle to ma...

In this episode we chat to Vicki McKeown & Lisa Etherson about the tricky subject of Shame. Drawing on their professional experiences and practice as well as Lisa's Phd they have co authored the children's book "Jake and his Shame Armour. We discuss aspects of shame and how it is linked to attachment and can influence behaviour. As always there's a bit of frivolity and chaos as we try to get t...

Hello and welcome to what is a follow up to the conversation I had with Lee Tempest in the summer of 2024. I spoke to her then in relation to the understanding and support being offered to families living with children with challenging and violent behaviour in New Zealand. Lee works for VisAble a national charity and has authored  the first survey across New Zealand looking at families experiences...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F podcast.  In this  episode Scott and Al speak to Sarah and Helen from the Belay Foundation. They help families access disability benefits as well as in home support.  Here's a their info  The Belay Foundation In case you are inspired to find out more ... website https://thebelayfoundation.org.uk/ - To help them in the future the survey they've la...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F podcast.  In this  episode I speak to Nakole Wooley, parent education & cultivate connection facilitator, licensed social worker, formed foster carer and adoptive parent through kinship. Nakole got in touch to talk about the challenges that adoptive families face specifically in relation to adoption disruption and that’s where the conversatio...

Hello and welcome to the 213th Episode (not the 113th as introduced!).  We catch up and unpick some of the latest news including the quality of the Gov's communication, upcoming disruption interviews and the experience of being a grandparent through adoption and the, perhaps, unique aspects of that role.  As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspe...

In this months episode, Vicki and Haley talk about preparations for the summer holidays, the heat, the lack of routine and the changes that are coming after.  It’s a lot for any parent and carer to manage and so we explore the need for preparing for that with our people, our network, our tribe to prevent breakdowns or at least minimise those difficult times and give us the energy to be the best ca...

Hello and welcome to  Conversations from the A&F podcast  In this episode I speak to adoptive parent and former foster carer Izzy, she shares her experience of adopting a child that she fostered as well as her experience of realising that her child was living with Pathological Demand Avoidance.  Izzy explains PDA and how it impacts children and families as well as sharing her own journey to ru...