The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

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!

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.

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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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

 

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.  

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. 

 

 

 

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.

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.

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. 

Life Story Work is a topic that raises many questiosn with carers and adopters having a whole range of experiences from positive to very poor. So, with that in mind this week we speak to Katie Wrench a Social Worker and author on the subject. We discuss a range of issues, including helping children with complex and challenging histories as well as good practice and how open should we be.

Most of the questions and themes came from Twitter and Facebook so thanks to every one who joined the discussion. 

Katie's book is called: Life Story Work with Children Who are Fostered or Adoptered: Creative Ideas and Activities and can be found through all the usual routes.