![Episode123 - Becky Brooks and the Adoption Barometer]()
July 31, 2021
Hi, In this episode we take the opportunity to catch up with AUK's Becky Brooks and talk about the Adoption Barometer. We also asked her to share a few thoughts on the recently released Adoption Strategy.
We chat through specific elements such as education and ongoing support but the main thrust of the discussion was the contribution of adult adoptees to the Barometer. These focus largely on the transition to adulthood for adoptees and we discuss the specific challenges that families face in relation to access to appropriate support and services. As always with Becky it's an interesting and fun discussion with her passion shining through the minor bickering of Scott and Al.
If you like the podcast we'd really appreciate a review on iTunes as it helps get more people listening to us. If you're up for that then pop here and it will only take a minute.
Also, while you're here you could pop along here to The No Borders podcast and listen to some helpful stuff re supporting resilience training.
As always we're very happy to hear from you all and if you want to get in touch please email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com or through our Twitter or Facebook page.
As always, thanks for listening and you can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
July 27, 2021
In this episode we unpack the newly released DfE National Adoption Strategy for England. It can be read here
We consider how it was put together and the specific parts of the document. Clearly, there's a lot to unpick in it but we look at the high points that were apparent on first reading.
If you like the podcast we'd really appreciate a review on iTunes as it helps get more people listening to us. If you're up for that then pop here and it will only take a minute.
Also, while you're here you could pop along here to The No Borders podcast and listen to some helpful stuff re supporting resilience training.
As always we're very happy to hear from you all and if you want to get in touch please email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com or through our Twitter or Facebook page.
As always, thanks for listening and you can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
![Conversations - Pete]()
July 24, 2021
Hello and welcome to conversations from the adoption and fostering podcast. In this episode we speak to Pete and he shares his experience of adopting with his wife. They adopted one child after unsuccessful fertility treatment and have gone on to adopt again recently.
Their story reflects a positive experience and with them navigating the assessment and matching process with relative ease, its their story and reflects their views.
We hope you find it enlightening and as always if you’ve experience of adoption, Fostering or special guardianship from any perspective and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook or twitter page
If you’ve a story of care or adoption and would like to share your perspective or experience then please do direct message us at our twitter feed here, our facebook page here or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
Spotify here
Google here
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Together, We Can Make It by Neutrin05 | https://soundcloud.com/neutrin05
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Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
July 17, 2021
In this week's episode we reflect back on the response to the interview with Josh MacAlister, to say it's been 'mixed' is fair. We also look at recent research on adoption disruption and consider the findings they highlight. If you can get access it can be found here
Its a ranging chat and we catch up with some of the recent news and unpick what's going on with what seems like a growing 'adoption influencer' culture and the dreaded oversharing. We all chat through some aspects of Transracial adoption.
As always we're very happy to hear from you all and if you want to get in touch please email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com or through our Twitter or Facebook page.
As always, thanks for listening and you can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
![Episode121 - Allegations against Foster Carers with Catherine Lockett]()
July 15, 2021
This week we chat to Catherine Lockett, an associate of the National Association of Fostering Providers, in relation to the difficult issue of allegations against Foster Carers.
It is a difficult issue but a harsh reality for many carers and we discuss the prevalence and consider the impact of drift in resolution of investigations against carers. This is highlighted in the research that Catherine and the NAFP have undertaken. We discuss the issue at lengths and consider the underlying issues in relation to safer caring, needs of children as well as the impact on carer's families and on children in care themselves. We also look at how inconsistencies of approach as well as the impact on recruitment.
As always its a cracking and thought provoking chat that we hope you find helpful, as promised here's some links to the report as well as the training that Catherine's training on the issue.
Here's a link the NAPF best practice guide.
Here's a link to the latest UK Stats
Here's a link to Catherine's course
As always we're very happy to hear from you all and if you want to get in touch please email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com or through our Twitter or Facebook page.
As always, thanks for listening and you can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
July 10, 2021
In this episode Scott chats to adoptee Rebecca, she was adopted in the late 70's by a family that did not share her ethnicity and she shares her views and experiences.
You can connect to Rebecca and the work she does on Facebook here
Or at her HappyMarlo website here
or on instagram via @happymarlolife
We hope you find it enlightening and as always if you’ve experience of adoption, Fostering or special guardianship from any perspective and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook or twitter page or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com
As always, the views expressed are his and reflect his experience and thoughts on adoption.
You can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
![An interview with Josh McAlister the Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care]()
July 3, 2021
In this week's episode we stretch out a little and speak to Josh McAlister the Chair of the Independent Review of Children's Social Care in England.
Understandably, there's been a lot of interest in the care review and as it's been billed as a 'once in a generation' opportunity. When the review was announced we asked Josh to come on and we arranged to speak to him to coincide with the release of the interim report. So, that what this is an interview with Josh that reflects the work done so far. Many people with experience of social care are following it closely and there is a high level of criticism from some quarters. There are many concerns being raised in relation to the timings, limitations and intentions of the review and we do discuss them with Josh.
We're not Newsnight and our manner is conversational. We wanted a discussion rather than an interview and to that end we achieved what we set out for. Of course there were a myriad of other questions that we could have pressed him on but time was limited and we did reflect the questions that were passed to us through our Facebook page here.
If you want to read The Case for Change you can do so here.
We hope you find it enlightening and as always if you’ve experience of adoption, Fostering or special guardianship from any perspective and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook or twitter page or email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com
You can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
July 1, 2021
In this webcast we announce our latest project, No Borders Training (visit website here)
With No Borders we want to provided easily accessible training, events and resources for parents, carers and professionals. We want to step out of the adoption and fostering world and look at a broader range of issues that impact on children and those who care for them. We’ll be getting experts and professionals to come on and share nuggets of information that will be helpful and hopefully open up discussion and conversation about topics that matter.
You can also listen to our new "The No Borders Podcast" as well to find out more about what we're doing and find some practical advice on specific issues. You can find details our website which is Noborderstraining.org or on iTunes here
You can contact us on NoBordersTraining@gmail.com
June 26, 2021
In this episode we speak to Shania a young black adopted woman and she shares her experience of Adoption. Shania is the co founder of Adoptee Futures and an advocate and campaigner for greater awareness of the realities of contemporary adoption and during this podcast she is open and honest in her views. You can find links to Adoptee Futures here and their twitter feed here.
We hope you find it enlightening and as always if you’ve experience of adoption, Fostering or special guardianship from any perspective and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook or twitter page or email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com
You can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
June 16, 2021
This week we're back in the same room recording to our heart's content. We discuss the call for a national apology for forced adoption from the 50s,60s and 70. Scott talks about his little gig at the Adoptee Futures event at the festival of debate (watch here) and we unpick the thorny, but far too frequent, issue of adoptive families being pulled into safeguarding proceedings.
As always we're very happy to hear from you all and if you want to get in touch please email us at aandfpodcast@gmail.com or through our Twitter or Facebook page.
As always, thanks for listening and you can also listen to the podcast:
iTunes here Spotify here Google here
