The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

Adopter Stories - #5 Frances

In this episode Frances shares a unique story of adopting a little girl through the New Zealand Social Care system. The language is shared but practice and underlying values and ethics contrast the UK's. 

Stories are potent and can expand our understanding, listening to Frances her story asks us to question our assumptions around parenting other people's children and where the boundaries of family lie. 

As always, if you enjoyed this and would like to share your story then please do contact us through Twitter or Facebook. 

If you're feeling really warm and fluffy towards us a review on iTunes here would help share the joy. 

Adopter Stories - #4 Louise

Adopters Stories is a short podcast where adopters tell their own stories. There's no filter or edit, no motive for recruitment or drive to raise a specific issue. 

In this edition of Adopter Stories Louise shares her experience of adoption with her wife though the concurrency route (Foster to Adopt). 

If you want to share your story then please do get in touch, DM us through our Twitter account or Facebook page

Podcast Special: National Adoption Week

This is episode we recorded a few thoughts on National Adoption Week as we sat on a wall outside the National Adoption Awards at the Foundling Museam in Central London. We also managed to grab the winner of the Adoption Blogger of the Year, Adoption BlogFox, for a short interview. 

It's a shorter episode as we're all caught up with half term and the business of family and stuff. We will be back to normal in the next episode.

As always thank you for listening, give us a share and if you're inclined a review on iTunes here. 

Foster Carer Stories #2 Ema

In this Episode Ema share her story of how, with her husband Blair, they started fostering as a family with their own young children. She describes looking after teenagers as well as the challenges of moving children onto adoptive parents. 

Foster Carer stories is a place where foster carers can share their experiences, good, bad and everything in between with no agenda or filter.

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.

 

Episode 50 - Childhood Challenging, Violent & Aggressive Behaviour (AKA CPV)

This week we're celebrating two years of podcasting, however there was no cake. We take a bit of time to unpack some of the develping knowledge in relation to  Childhood Challenging, Violent & Aggressive Behaviour (CCVAB) otherwise known as Child on Parent Violence (CPV). There's a mini interview with Social Worker and CPV campaigner Helen Bonnick who has been raising awareness of the issue over the last decade. See her website for excellent resources Holes in the Wall.

We don't get time to discuss the full #CPV2018 survey report but manage to discuss some of the key features such as the significance in the change from CPV to CCVAB, definition, underlying causes, sibling violence and strategies. You can read a summary of the survey here or but the full report here

As the discussion progresses we get onto World Mental Health Day, National Adoption Week and banter. 

Again, thanks for listening, sharing and downloading. If you're inclined a wee review on iTunes is always welcome. 

 

Adopter Stories - #3 Katherine

Adopters Stories is a short podcast where adopters tell their own stories. There's no filter or edit, no motive for recruitment or drive to raise a specific issue. 

In this edition of #AdopterStories we speak to Katherine. With her husband Simon they adopted Donny in 2012. She shares their story. 

If you want to share your story then please do get in touch, DM us through our Twitter account or Facebook page

Episode 49 - An interview with Dr Lucy Peake

This week we speak to Dr Lucy Peake the Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus.  

It was a really interesting and thought provoking discussion in relation to the unique and shared challenges that kinship carers and special guardians face. We cover a wide range of issues including some earlier campaignes Lucy worked on in fostering such as Staying Put as well as the significant issue of support of kinship carers and special guardians. The unique challenges that kinship carers face is discussed and the children that that they care for including issues of age, poverty, stigma and the Lack of Lack campaign. 

There's a little banter as usuall and the terrible story of the dead cat is shared. 

As always thanks for listening and share your comments if you wish. 

Foster Carer Stories #1 Pip

We want to create a place where the voices and stories of foster carers can be heard with no agenda for recruitment, policy change or complaint. The voices arn't endorsed by an agency or filtered they are simply the story that the foster carer want to share. 

In this episode Pip tells some of her story, with her husband and children they've been a fostering family for five years. 

If you are a foster carer and want to share your story then Message us through our Twitter account ( @Adoption_pcast) or our Facebook Page.

Episode 48 - An interview with Martin Barrow

After a much welcome summer break we start with a bang as we interview foster carer Martin Barrow. He is a vocal advocate for fostering and can often be found on Twitter (@MartinBarrow) debating the role, status and future of foster carers and foster care. 

In this episode we get right to it and Martin's passion for the subject shines through, we discss with vigour, employment rights, transfering skills, market forces and many issues that face foster carers. We also discuss his experiences of helping children move on to other homes. 

We end with a little catch up and some news from both of us, all rather exciting and ponder some upcoming topics that we'd like to dicsuss. 

As always thank you for listening. 

 

Adopter Stories - #2 Paul

Welcome to Adopters Stories hosted by the Adoption & Fostering Podcast

In this episode Paul shares his story of adoption of two boys in 2015 of two boys with his husband. 

All adoption stories are unique and all adoption stories represent the coming together of different experiences, motives, hopes and aspirations. They often don’t go to plan and many adoptive parents discover that their lives are taken in directions that they never anticipated.

Of course, there are other voices in adoption and we’re not presuming to speak for them and as we’re based in the UK all the adopters that we speak to have adopted through the UK's statutory adoption system.  If any of the stories in future episodes are different we’ll say.

If you’d like to share your story or would like to get in touch you can message through the adoption and fostering podcast facebook page or through our Twitter feed.