The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

Episode 30 - An interview with Stuart Guest

This week we speak to Head Teacher and adoptive parent Stuart Guest. He has taken an innovative approach to create a nurturing, supportive and safe learning environment for all the children in his primary school. This approach has been informed by an understanding of the impacts of early life adversity. 

Scott and Al have a brief intro then we get straight into the interview. Stuart shares his experience and thoughts on a range of issues including; pupil premium, pupil premium plus, partnership with schools, information packs, secondary schools, homework and of course the now legendary #CookieNookieNight 

Thank you for all the questions that were sent in and we hope you enjoy this episode and we aspire to get Stuart back to the podcast in the new year.

Stuart has sent a link to some resources and they can be found here

 

I appologise that there's a wee bit of 'clipping' in the audio quality for the first 4 minutes of the interview with Stuart. It does pass and so please bare with it. 

 

 

#cookienookienight

Podcast Special - National Adoption Week Scotland 2017

This week we see Scott return to the land of his ancestors, Scotland. He talks to three Scottish guests in honour of Adoption Week Scotland, which is now in its second year.

Firstly Fiona, an Adopter and foster carer from Edinburgh - a real character - and provides peer support through her work with Adoption UK.

Then Mark, an Adopter from a same sex couple - currently going through the process to adopt for a second time. And finally Jess, an administrator got the Adoption Register in Scotland. 

As always banter and humor bagpiped into infopodcastainment!

Episode 29 - Jenny Jones MBE and Suddenly Mummy

This week we spoke to Jenny Jones and Suddenly Mummy about moving from adopters to working in the adoption world. Actually, that was the plan and it kind of went a little askew and spiralled into other issues and topic including mountains, affecting change and representation.

Al made Scott talk about the Adoption UK conference and in a bizzare twist Al insulted Scott and he fell out of the podcast and was lost in the internet for a few minutes until he found himself again by sending a text to Al.

As always banter and thought turned into podcasting shenannegans.

Episode 28 - #NAAM, the Voices of Adoptees and an interview with Ms Coates

In this episode we talk about the voices of adoptees in the context of #NationalAdoptionAwarenessMonth. It's a subject that raises a raft of questions in relation to the differing cultures, systems and contexts that adoption inhabits and how we listen to each other. As adoptees we question if we can ever even know our children's perspectives. 

To that end we also have a short interview with my Daughter and she shares a few thoughts and experiences. 

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or on the Podbean site here

If you're feeling kind a cheeky review would always be appreciated on either site.  

Podcast Special - Home for Good - Adoption Sunday

On this special episode Al talks to Phil Green from Home for Good about the work that they do in the UK with local churches supporting and promoting adoption and fostering. It's Adoption Sunday on the 5th November and many UK churches will be highlighting the work that many families and individuals do to support some of the most vulnerable children in our society. 

We discuss a range of issues including the challenges that many foster carers and adoters feel within church communities, motiviations to foster and adopt, social work perceptions, future plans and lots of other stuff. 

If you would like to know more about the work that they do and how to access the support that they offer you can head to their website at 

Homeforgood.org.uk

You can also find them on twitter 

@home4Gd

 

Episode 27 - The First Year Anniversary Edition

Its a year since we started the podcast and look how far we've come, or fallen, depending on your perspective. It seems like an opportune moment to reflect on the last years but we were mainly distracted by bickering. Al tells a dull, and irrelevent,  story about annual appraisals. We ponder our year, the unexpected outcomes and who a dream guest would be for the future. We disagree over #NationalAdoptionWeek and unpick some past activites and future hopes in relation to #CPV. 

A veritble all you can eat buffet of banter, prattle, incisive thought and insight.

Thanks for the year and all the listening.  

Episode 26 - An Interview with Delyth Evans, #CPV Strategies & Support

This week we've an interview with Delyth Evans the Service Manager at the Centre for Adoption Support based in the North West. Delyth won the National Adoption Awards Adoption Support Worker of the year in 2016 and talks abou the approach that The Centre for Adoption Support have in relaiton to supporting families that live with challenging and violent behaviour. 

As always Scott and Al intro the podcast. 

 

 

 

Episode 25 - Foster Carers who Adopt

In this weeks episode we discuss foster carer who go on to adopt the children they fostered. We invited Suddenly Mummy onto the podcast to share her insight and experience and Scott and I share some of our experiences. 

 

As always we hope you enjoy and you can now follow us on our jazzy new facebook page here

https://www.facebook.com/AandFpodcast/

Leave a comment as Scott always welcomes construcive criticism.

Podcast Special - An Interview with Adoption UK's Sue Armstrong Brown

In this podcast I speak to the new CEO of Adoption UK Sue Armstrong Brown. We discuss a range of issues that she feels are precient for the adoption community at the moment including the Adoption Support Fund, Education, Child on Parent Violence and more. 

Through Twitter questions were recived and as far as possible they were asked or collated into topics and discussions. 

Sue was honest and gave a clear idea for her agenda and plans for the organisation and it was interesting to see her perspectives on the future direction for Adoption UK.

Episode 24 - Transitions

This week we chat about transitions, a much discussed challenge for children who have experienced early childhood adversity. Perhaps too big a subject we then spin off onto other stuff and dissolve into banter and chat. 

As always we hope you enjoy and you can now follow us on our jazzy new facebook page here

https://www.facebook.com/AandFpodcast/

Leave a comment and Scott always welcomes construcive criticism.