![Episode 84 - All things lockdown and an interview with Rosie the Adoption Social Worker]()
March 28, 2020
With chaos and uncertainty abounding the normal grasp on reality and all things normal has well and truly slipped out of the back door and left us all adrift. So, to add our full peneth to the mix we've cast aside the scheduled podcasts on all things tricky and refocused ourselves on the lived reality now.
To that end Al has chatted to Rosie the Adoption Social Worker, she shares her views and thoughts on the challenges that the current situation has thrown up for adoptive families and the SWer no less. This is part one with Rosie as we also talk about her day job supporting adoptive adults connect with their birth families and walking through that process with them.
Scott and Al also unpack some of the challenges thrown up this week indulge in some distracting banter as well as discuss Scott's crocodile hands and Al's selfish hoarding tendencies.
As always your views and thoughts are appreciated, you can contact the podcast through the usual routes and if you'd like to find out a little more the Adoption & Fostering Podcast's Facebook page is here, or our twitter feed here.
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![Episode 83 - An interview with Special Guardians and Adopters Together]()
March 21, 2020
In this episode of the adoption and fostering podcast we speak to Sylvia Schroer who is the chair of the Special Guardians and Adopters Together (SGandT) campaigning organisation.
We consider some of the issues that the organization campaign about specifically and discussed the challenges that's many families face as they try to access support in difficult situations as well as the accusations that can often be levelled at parents and carers. We also discuss the difficulty in raising the issues, lack of accurate data and the changing nature of adoption and kinship care/special guardianship.
You can go to their SGandT's website here and see some of the research that Sylvia mentions in the interview.
Scott and I keep the banter down to the bear minimum, though we do get drawn onto the rocks of name calling on twitter and if you listen to the very very end there may be a child hygiene related retching incident.
We recorded earlier in the week so all the latest Corvid-19 developments aren't commented on.
Stay well y'all.
![Conversations - Clarissa]()
March 14, 2020
In this episode Clarissa shares her story of growing up in challenging circumstances, becoming a mother and then having her child removed, then adopted, by children’s social care professionals.
Clarissa is now a relational/parent activist and works to support other parents the have similar experiences and social care involvement. This is a really honest account and Clarissa doesn’t shy away from some very challenging experiences, events and situations that she was part of. Consequently, this is a hard listen and contains an honest account that some listeners may find upsetting, so please be wise and listen with caution.
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 or on our facebook page here.
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Music by
Together, We Can Make It by Neutrin05 | https://soundcloud.com/neutrin05
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
March 7, 2020
In this episode we chat to solicitor Sarah Brown from Ridley Hall Solicitors who specialises in all legal matters pertaining to adoption. We chat in relation to the reasons people resort to legal representation, such as challenging support plans or amending wills to name a couple. We take a little time before the interview to consider chat and set the interview up so bear with us.
We also discuss Andrew Christie stepping down from the Adoption & Special Guardianship Leadership Board and argue over which one of us should apply as well as the issues that we look to consider in over the next few months on the podcast, mainly when things don't go as expected.
As always your views and thoughts are appreciated, you can contact the podcast through the usual routes and if you'd like to find out a little more the Adoption & Fostering Podcast's Facebook page is here, or our twitter feed here.
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
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February 29, 2020
In this episode Andrew shares his experience as an adoptive parent of a child with complex medical needs, with his wife they chose to adopt rather than becoming parents through traditional routes. Andrew discusses a long preparation and approval process and some of the specific challenges that they have all faced.
If you'd like to share your story then please get in touch through the Adoption & Fostering Podcast's facebook page here, or our twitter feed here.
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February 15, 2020
In this episode Scott has a chat with Satwinder on his experience and perspective of a range of interesting and important issues that social care has faces with the change in legislation in the mid 2000's. It is a really interesting discussion in relation to the challenges faced by the LGBT community as they navigated what was a process built around the assessment of heterosexual couples and the questions that this posed for social workers. Sat raises bigger questions in relation to applicants showing authentic selves and asking what is an acceptable lifestyle for any adoption applicant.
As always your views and thoughts are appreciated, you can contact the podcast through the usual routes and if you'd like to find out a little more the Adoption & Fostering Podcast's Facebook page is here, or our twitter feed here.
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
Spotify here
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February 8, 2020
In what is #LGBTHistoryMonth we continue to focus on LGBT adoption and fostering. This week we talk with gay foster carer, Bea.
Bea, along with her partner, have been fostering for 2 years, and now have a longer term placement. Bea explains some of the process to becoming a foster carer in recent times, and it felt rather a standard assessment process, that anyone can relate to. Bea also shares some useful thoughts about selecting an agency, whether you are a same sex female couple or not.
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 or on our facebook page here.
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
Spotify here
Google here
Music by
Together, We Can Make It by Neutrin05 | https://soundcloud.com/neutrin05
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
![Episode 79 - LGBT History Month, a chat with Tris and Scott]()
February 1, 2020
It’s LGBT history months so we thought we’d add our bit and Al has a chat with Scott and his husband Tris about their perspectives and experience of being amongst the cohort of adoptive same sex couples in the mid 2000s. They straddle a time before that was a possibility and we discuss their journey as well as some of their positive as well as less positive experiences being adoptive parents. We also chat about the implications for them as a family as they encounter and visit other cultures and countries and precautions they take to keep the children and themselves safe.
We start with a chat about the BT Halo advert, the language used and the following twitter storm and response from different parts of the adoption community.
Finally, we reveal that we’re chairing a RAA’s first year anniversary conference on the 4th April for Adoption East Midlands, until the end of Feb its open to families from that area, after that anyone can attend if there’s space. BOOK HERE The conference is going to cover a range of issues that are ever present including contact, developing children’s resilience and adopter resilience. There will also be discussion in relation to school support and peer mentors within the adoption community. Take a look here and if you’re free then we’d love to see you as well as the night before when we’re having the Adoption and Fostering Podcast Pub Quiz (details to follow).
If you'd like to find out a little more the Adoption & Fostering Podcast's Facebook page is here, or our twitter feed here.
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
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January 25, 2020
This week we speak to Fran Proctor an adult adoptee. It comes with a warning it's a hard story to hear & one that challenges many views. Fran is open and honest in sharing her experience and it provokes difficult questions that are struggled to be answered in easily.
Of course, we'd recommend caution as this contains some especially difficult issues that some listeners may find upsetting.
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 or on our facebook page here.
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
Spotify here
Google here
Music by
Together, We Can Make It by Neutrin05 | https://soundcloud.com/neutrin05
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
January 18, 2020
In what can only be described as an experiment we attempted a half live podcast with us streaming on FB for the first half of this podcast and answering various questions that came up. You can decide on how coherent it was! We answered a range of questions including issues around training in schools, attachment and working with professionals. Some familiar faces chipped in so it was rather interesting!
After that had a chat about some of the fostering and adoption recruitment missteps that have been in the media #DropTheMop as well as the new governments focus on adoption and a meeting with the minster. It was prior to the recent letter sent by the children's minister so we don't reflect on that only on what we knew at the time.
If you'd like to find out a little more the Adoption & Fostering Podcast's Facebook page is here, or our twitter feed here.
Listen/subscribe on iTunes here
Spotify here
Google here
