The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

Hello and welcome to Conversations from the A&F podcast

In this episode I speak author Fran Hill, we spoke in 2023 about her first novel ‘Cuckoo in the Nest’ and in this interview we chat about her follow up novel ‘Home Bird’. 

Fran shares her experience of being in foster care and how it influenced the characters in these books and the experiences that they face. 

You can find out more about Fran and her work here

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to the A&F podcast

In this episode I speak to Psychotherapist, NVR practitioner and Adoptive parent Simone Harch. Simone shares a little of her journey but the focus of this conversation is about mental health and the impact on adoptive parents of caring for children with complex needs. It is a really pertinent conversation and highlights the need for support for adopters and help for them to stay well. 

Simone is starting a pilot project for Adoption East Midlands and you can contact them directly or Simone here 

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to the AandF podcast. 

In this episode we unpack how caring for and parenting children with complex, challenging and aggressive behaviour can impact on relationships between parents and carers. 

It's a thorny issue, the impact of high levels of need and stress in the home with differences in motivation and approaches to the behaviour can take its toll and we share some of our experiences and look at the lack of data and draw on out professional experience. 

You can read the article referred to here. 

As always, if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Better Me Better You Podcast.

How old is old enough to be left unsupervised? As families navigate the summer holidays, we unpack the guidance around children's independence and explore the bigger questions beneath it. We look at the difference between age and maturity, challenge the idea that increasing responsibility should come at the expense of play, and discuss how children's ability to manage risk develops over time.  We finish by thinking about how we can support young people to learn, grow and prepare for adulthood through experience, not just protection.

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to conversations from the AandF podcast. 

In this episode I speak to Matthew Page, a care experienced adult, former foster carer and trustee of the Fostering Network. Matthew is also a specialist in intersectionality and identity thought leader, an adoption celebrant and many other things. 

We chat about his experience growing up as a black child in a white foster family, his search for his dad and appearing on DNA family secrets.  

You can visit Matthew’s website here

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to conversations from the AandF podcast. 

In this episode I to Niketa Sanderson Gillard, social worker, Churchill Fellow and Founder and CEO of Why Care. We chat about Niketa’s Churchill fellowship, her work that led up to it and how her organisation Why Care has  influenced the DfE’s draft standards that are currently being consulted on. Niketa and discuss the standards, the consultation and more.

You can participate in the consultation and read more on the draft standards here. 

 

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode of the conversations from the A&F Podcast I speak to adoptive parent Kaitlin. She shares her family's experience of adopting two boys and the challenges that they faced as a family. This was a rocky road and Kaitlin is honest in terms of the difficulties including false allegations, arrests and the catastrophic impact this had on the whole family.  

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Listen/subscribe on iTunes here Spotify here

Hello and Welcome to the A&F podcast. 

This week we've asked Mark Owers to come onto the podcast to talk all things fostering in light of the DfE's released consultation and changes to the national fostering standards. 

We cover a broad range of topics relating to fostering including reframing practice around carer's voices and experience, stewardship, recruitment and more. 

You can complete the consultation here. 

Here is a link to Mark's LinkedIn profile where you can read more of his insights and perspectives. 

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode we explore what it means to change. Is change a natural part of growing up, or is it sometimes a response to the need to survive? We discuss identity, resilience, and whether having a secure base makes change feel more like a choice.

As always you can connect with us through the following -

Website- www.bettermebetterus.co.uk

Instagram- BMBUltd

Facebook – Better Me Better Us

Email – info@bettermebetterus.co.uk

In this episode I speak to Michael Gaither, he was adopted in the US in the 1970s  and moved to rural Nebraska. As a black boy raised by white adoptive parents in a majority white community Michael shares the impact of the profound differences he experienced and the lack of understanding he faced. 

You can follow Michael here and there are free resources for those that are interested. 

Michael's instagram is also here. 

As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com

Listen/subscribe on iTunes here Spotify here