The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

This month we’re diving into the topic of risk. Are we too risk averse? And what does that really mean in the world of parenting, adoption and fostering, education, and social work.  Join us as we explore how fear of risk and the consequences shapes decision-making, and what impact it has on the young people we’re trying to support. This conversation invites you to consider where caution helps and where...

Al was invited to attend the 2025 Adoption England Conference (Moving Forwards) in London. So, he off he went with his C30 tapes and trusty recorder and was able to grab a few interviews with attendees and contributors. The conversations cover a range of subjects; Early Permanence, the ASGSF, opportunities, adoptee voices, pre order disruption with kind contributions from the following:

Vicky Davidson Boyd - Adoption Tees Valley

Em...

Hello and welcome to this second episode of Al's Churchill Fellowship. You can read the full report here.

Developing the themes in Part 1 this podcast considers how parents and carers are supported by focused organisations. Rather than look at specific models of intervention, of which there are many,  it considered how families interacted and accessed the interventions and s...

In this episode we have the now almost obligatory ASSGSF intro and the get to the business on hand. We invited the All Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption and Permanence steering committee chair Siobhan Rhodes to come on and talk about the work they're doing to gather the voices of people who are adopted. We chat about what that is with the APPG is and you can complete the survey for Adoptee Voices here.

As always if you’ve exper...

We pulled this episode together at short notice to promote the work of adoptive parent Clare Solomon joined by Euan Preston of the Potato group to talk about the upcoming march to protest against the changes to the ASGSF.

We chat through the changes and what they are looking to achieve through the petition and the march. You can sign the petition here, or find out more about the march on the 3rd May to Downing Street here and find ...

Hello and welcome to this first episode of Al's Churchill Fellowship. You can read the full report here.

This episode draws on peer support specialists working directly with parents and carers living with children with challenging and aggressive behaviour. Focusing on Canada & the USA it considers different models of peer support including social media, virtual and in pe...

In this Episode Al interviews Dr Lynn Snow. She is a medical doctor who has undertaken a Churchill Fellowship looking at how other countries and context address and support adoptive parents experiencing post adoption depression. 

It was a fascinating conversation and Lynn has also worked as a paediatrician on adoption panel and we start by unpacking that a little. We then delve deeply into the issue of PAD, its prevalence, what hel...

Hello and welcome to this episode of Converations from the A&F podcast. In this episode I speak to foster carer and Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz. He’s passionate about protecting vulnerable children which is what led him to start  YATOM: The Jewish Foster and Adoption Network. He is a father to 4 children and has fostered 8 children over the past few years with his wife, Shoshana. 

They work to motivate and support the Jewish co...

What does it really mean to keep up with the kids? It's more than knowing the latest slang or TikTok trends – it's about staying curious, open, and connected.

In this episode, we explore how tuning into the world our young people live in helps build stronger relationships and deeper understanding. Are you up to date with the language they use? Do you know what matters to the...

Hello and welcome to the A&F podcast. In this, slightly raucous, episode we speak to Michelle Hall and Dr Paul Shuttleworth. They chat about the work they are doing with the charity Kinship supporting carers to help children make sense of their life stories. 

They are delivering free training across the UK, both online and in person, and you can sign up through the Kinship website here. 

If you're interested in coming to Al's F...

Hello and welcome to this episode of Converations from the A&F podcast. In this episode I speak to foster carer Zoe Bell, she shares her experience of being a foster carer and the impact of her faith on that. She now works for the charity 100 Homes based in Nottinghamshire that supports local churches to recruit carers and build networks around foster carers for the local authority.  

Links: Facebook and Insta: @100HomesNott...

In this episode of the A&F podcast we speak to adoptive parent and Neurodiversity Coaching Psychologist Anna Webster. She shares her experience of parenting a child with a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the development of the Neurowise Programme on Therapeutic Caregiving for FASD. 

It is a genuinely fascinating chat and we both drew lots of new information and thinking about the role of parents and the specifi...

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F podcast. In this episode I speak to adoptive parent Ali. With her husband they adopted two boys and after what seemed like a routine and normal experience of parenting challenges came when they started School. Ali shares her experience of facing challenges, difficult decisions that led to her setting up the ‘Fizzy Kids’ website and FaceBook page. 

As always if you’ve experience ...

This month, we're exploring the power of interpretations. The way we hear, use, and understand words can significantly shape how we think,feel, and respond. We reflect on how shifting our interpretations can improve relationships and promote understanding.

As always you can connect with us through the following -

In...

Phd Student Laura Smith recently got in touch with us in relation to research that she is undertaking research assessing the impact of a history of childhood maltreatment in the birth family on a child's emotional development. This is aimed specifically at adopters and adoptees aged 3 to 10 years old and she is keen to speak to families. We unpick why she is undertaking this research and what it can tell us in terms of how we care ...

Hello and welcome to this slightly unusual episode of Converations from the A&F podcast. 

Today I’m speaking to Peter Jakob, he introduced NVR (Non Violent Resistance) to the UK and has been a leader in its development and training of practitioner here. He’s has a new book out ‘Non Violent Resistance in Trauma Focused Practice’, we talk about that as well as broader issues supporting families. 

As always if you’ve experience of...

This was a fantastic episode to record, Rebecca draws on her experience as an adoptive parent to a child impacted by FASD as well as being a practicing social worker as we talk about FASD and the challenges families face getting help. To be honest it's such a critical topic we cartwheel around it. 

Rebecca wrote the following:

"I am a doctoral researcher at Birmingham City University. My research looks at post adoption social work ...

In this episode we get Becky Brooks to come on and walk us through the new Government's Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that is progressing through parliament now. There's lot to unpack and Becky is able to direct us to the highlights with school uniforms, admission rules for looked after children, virtual school powers, guardianship offers and much more discussed. 

As always Beck it spot on and you can read more on her analy...

This month we’re talking about kindness- the chosen as Children's word of the year for 2024.We'll talk about why it matters, how it shapes connections and interactions.

Kindness isn’t just about individual moments—it creates a ripple effect. When children experience kindness, it strengthens relationships, builds trust, and influences the systems and communities around them. ...