A Home and Healing for Every Child

In this episode of Caring for Kids, Cole and Gina share their experience of caring for over 11 years, often supporting newborns straight from hospital. 

They speak about creating a calm and responsive home, where routines are guided by the child and their individual needs. At the center of their approach is a strong belief that culture is a birthright, something that comes with the child and must be res...

In this episode of Caring for Kids, T.J. reflects on his experience as a male carer and what it means to show up with intention. 

He speaks about values, self-awareness and the ongoing work of understanding yourself while supporting young people. There’s also a strong practical lens, with insights into training, growth and the importance of being prepared. 

It’s a conversation that ...

 In this episode of Caring for Kids, Sharon reflects on a lifetime of caring and the relationships that continue long after children leave her home. 

Living in a rural community, she shares how connection looks different in smaller places, and how those relationships can carry through into adulthood through finding each other again, and tokens of remembrance.  

It’s a powerful remind...

In this episode of Caring for Kids, Marg shares her experience of caring and the realities that shape life inside a home where young people are at the center. 

She speaks to the day-to-day rhythm, the challenges that sit alongside the rewarding moments, and the importance of consistency, patience and understanding. 

It’s a steady, honest conversation about what it takes to create safety, conne...

In this episode of Caring for Kids, Richard and Naji explore the role of connection, community and support in shaping a young person’s confidence and self-awareness. 

They reflect on how relationships, both formal and informal, can influence identity, belonging and long-term outcomes. 

It’s a conversation about showing up, staying connected and creating environments where ...

In this episode of Caring for Kids, Corinne shares her journey into caring, from having no children to stepping into guardianship. 

She speaks openly about the process, what it takes to build a culturally safe home, and the responsibility that comes with creating a space where a child can feel a genuine sense of belonging. 

It’s a thoughtful and grounded reflection on how home and healing are built...

In this episode of Caring for Kids, Melissa sits down with Maia to explore what it really looks like to learn, unlearn and ask for support. 

From re-learning everyday skills like riding a bike to navigating systems like NDIS, Maia shares her experience of knowing when to lean on others and when to bring in the right expertise. It’s honest, practical and quietly powerful. 

This conversatio...

A powerful conversation on storytelling, motherhood and the realities many women face behind closed doors.  In this episode, Emily Hikaiti sits down with Jasmin Tarasin and Clare Lewis to explore the story behind Life Could Be a Dream. 

Together, they unpack the making of the film, the themes of financial safety and coercive control, and why storytelling plays such a critical role in shifting ...

In this episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, host Melissa Doyle AM sits down with actress and Adopt Change advocate Zufi Emerson for a heartfelt and life-affirming conversation. 

Zufi reflects on her family’s adoption journey, sharing the unique perspectives she and her brothers experienced growing up, and the simple honesty of children’s curiosity.

Melissa and Zufi connect through their shared ties to Eth...

In this special bonus episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and host Jonah Bobongie is joined by fellow Adopt Change Ambassadors Joel de Carteret and Brad Murphy for an honest conversation about adoption, identity and the lifelong process of healing. 

Each of these men has walked a different road – through reunion, grief, trauma, growth and resilience. Now, they come together to reflect on the threads ...

In this episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and lived experience advocate Emily Hikaiti is joined by fellow Ambassador – adoptee and filmmaker – Joel de Carteret. Joel shares his remarkable journey of returning to the Philippines and the life-changing experience of reconnecting with his birth family.  
 
But Joel’s story doesn’t end there. H...

In this open and reflective conversation of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Board Member and Adoptee Gabrielle Stricker-Phelps sits down with Ambassador and fellow Adoptee Jonah Bobongie for a conversation about growing up, identity, and the many sides of adoption.  

Jonah shares what it was like to grow up in Brisbane with a loving adoptive family while feeling disconnected from his Papua New Guinean roots and how that sh...

In this heartfelt episode, journalist and FutureWomen founder Helen McCabe speaks with former AFL player Brad Murphy about his early years in foster care, being adopted into a loving family and the lasting impact those experiences have had on his life. 

Brad reflects on growing up surrounded by strong support, the values instilled by his adoptive parents and how those foundations helped him navigate the demands of elite sport a...

In this moving second episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and lived experience advocate Emily Hikaiti speaks with Phoebe Garland – Co-founder of a successful brand management and fashion & business consultancy agency, intercountry adoptee from Vietnam and advocate for ethical adoption and permanency. 

Phoebe shares her powerful story of being adopted to Australia in the wake of the Vietnam War, a...

In the first episode of Season 2 of A Home and Healing for Every Child, our CEO Renee Leigh (Carter) sits down with Emily Hikaiti, a passionate advocate with lived experience in the foster care system. Emily shares her powerful story navigating placements, finding moments of belonging and what the word home has come to mean for her. Now a strong voice for change, Emily uses her experience to advocate for better support, greater und...

In this episode Bruce. D. Perry, MD, Phd. and Adopt Change Founder Deborra-lee Furness AO chat about understanding trauma and its impacts on healing. Dr Perry is an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs, and policy ac...

In this episode, Dr Stacy Blythe, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University discusses the latest research on caring for infants in out-of-home care. You can read the research via the link below. Drawing on her skills as a nurse, knowledge as a researcher and experience as an authorised carer, her research focuses on the health and well-being of children in out-of-home care and thei...

Adopt Change ambassador Lisa Sthalekar chats with Sue Brierley, the adoptive mother of Saroo Brierley, whose memoir was adapted into the Oscar-nominated Australian biographical drama film “Lion” starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. This episode discusses Sue’s experiences as an adoptive mother as well as her book “Lioness”.  

This chat was recorded for the Adopt Change National Permanency Confer...

In this episode co-founders Joe and Tom Bennett chat about their charity ‘Foster the Future’ which aims to connect high school youth in out-of-home care with university student tutors. They founded Foster the Future in 2019 after seeing how mentoring and support can drastically improve the lives of young people in out-of-home care.  

This episode was recorded for the Adopt Change National Permanency Confe...