PODCAST

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

Al Coates & Scott Casson-Rennie

Conversation & discussion on contemporary Adoption & Fostering

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

01:00:57

Episode 202 - Tris & Paula

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2025/01/11

Hello and welcome to this episode A&F podcast our traditional new year check in with spouses Tris and Paula. As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, BlueSky or email us at AandFpodcast@gmail.com Listen/subscribe on iTunes here Spotify here

59:04

Episode 201 - Sarah Anderson from Foster Wiki talks...

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2025/01/04

Hello and welcome to the first episode of 2025! We recorded this episode with Sarah in the run up to Christmas so we're all festive and looking ahead and behind in our references. We invited Sarah on to share the findings of FosterWiki's 2024 Independent Allegations Report. We have a really interesting chat about its contents as well as sharing personal and professional experience and reflect on the impact on children, adults and the broader system. As always if you’ve experience of adoption,

01:31:55

Episode 200 - Christmas Special and 200th Episode...

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/12/21

Hello and welcome to episode 200 from the A&F Network and our 2024 Christmas special. We've shipped in the wonderful Mark Owers to guest host a proper retrospective podcast unpicking a whole raft of episodes, anecdotes and think about why we started the podcast and looked at the highlights. Mark weaves in Christmas questions and we think about what the future holds. We have also released it in full video format on our YouTube channel here. As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering

27:55

Safeguarding in Adoption Conference - Al Coates

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/12/14

Hello and welcome to a slightly unusual series of episodes of the A&F podcast. In September I joined Fiona wells from PATCH, Friend of the show Vicki McKeown and strategic lead for Adoption England Sarah Johal to speak at the Safeguarding in Adoption online conference. With over 500 tickets requested we were overwhelmed with the interest in this subject that impacts so many families.In this episode we hear Sarah Johal. Fiona an adoptee, adopter & social worker explained the reason for the

22:53

Better Me Better You Ep 19 – Trauma and Christmas

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/12/10

Christmas can be a time of joy, but for many adopted and fostered children, it can feel deeply unsettling. The festive season often brings up complex emotions, triggers, and reminders of loss. In this episode, we explore how trauma impacts children during Christmas, why traditional celebrations can feel overwhelming, and how thinking ahead and making adjustments can make the time more manageable.As always you can connect with us through the following - Instagram- BMBUltd Facebook – Better Me Better

46:48

Safeguarding in Adoption Conference - Sarah Johal

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/12/07

30:03

Conversations - Foster Carers Mobeena and Wajid

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/11/30

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network. In this episode I speak to Mobeena and Wajid foster carers for Hillingdon Council. They describe a positive experience of choosing to be foster carers as their own children grew older and of welcoming a child into their home on a long term basis. As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through

32:14

Episode 199 - Eight Year Anniversary Get Together .

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/11/23

Hello and welcome to episode 199 from the A&F Network.Well, it's been eight years since we started and that coincided with us being together in Ireland. So, we kick back in Scott's kitchen, catch up on events and reflect on stuff. As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any perspective personal or professional and would like share that on the podcast please get in touch through the Facebook page, the app formerly known as Twitter or email us at

55:38

Conversations - Dr Elaine Machett

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/11/16

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network. In this episode I speak to Dr Elaine Machett a solo adoptive parent. Drawing on her own personal experience she shares the results of her interviews with adoptive parents in relation to the challenges they faced when their children first moved in. As well as being a huge transition and stress for children for many parents it is a difficult time where they can feel overwhelmed and struggle to adjust. Elaine shares the themes and issue the

29:57

BMBU Episode 18- Consequences

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/11/12

In this latest episode Vicki and Haley discuss what we mean by “consequences”. Although consequences and punishments may seem similar, understanding the difference can have a huge impact on how we view and respond to behaviour. We talk about the need for both, what they might look like in families and in the workplace as well as how people’s experiences of them influence their view and use of them.As always you can connect with us through the following - Instagram- BMBUltd Facebook – Better Me

45:16

Episode 198 - CEO of Walk the Walk Jacqueline Gear

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/11/09

Hello and welcome to episode 198 from the A&F Network. This week we speak to Jacqueline Gear the CEO of Walk the Walk Family Support Service based in Herefordshire. We discuss the work that they do with families including a family contact centre supporting positive relationships between parents. As always it's an interesting conversation and you can look at their website and see what they get up to. As always if you’ve experience of adoption, fostering or special guardianship from any

55:37

Conversations - Adult Adoptee Barbara

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/11/02

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network. In this episode I speak to Barbara, she was adopted as a baby in the late 1940’s after the 2nd world war . She describes the experience of finding out she was adopted by accident as a 12 year old, the challenges that brought and then later in life searching for her biological family. Barbara has written an account of her experiences and journey in a book ‘Blue Plastic Cow’ and you can find a link to that here. As always if you’ve

50:45

Episode 197 - Sam Turner from Kinship

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/26

Hello and welcome to Episode 197 of the A&F podcast. In this episode we chat to Sam Turner Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Kinship. We'd hoped to catch Kinship Care week earlier in the month but circumstances got the better of us. Sam joined us to chat about some of the work that Kinship had been doing as well as to highlight the new report Forgotten: Support for kinship children’s education and mental health It's a lively and friendly chat but we cover what are significant issues for many

01:12:22

Conversations - Adoptive Parents Jo and James

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/19

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network. In this episode we speak to Jo and James, they are biological parents and adoptive parents and came to that through the process of foster to adopt. They share their story and shine a light on the challenges that can emerge through the process of early permanence and the emotional turmoil and complexity that it can often bring. Ultimately they did successfully navigate the process and they are open and honest about this experience. As

28:38

Webcast with Adopter and Adoption Researched Claire...

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/17

Hello and Welcome to this midweek webcast. Al spoke to Claire Agious an adoptive parent and Phd researcher considering the support that families are receiving through post adoption support from the perspective of adoptive parents and post adoption social workers. Claire shares her journey to her research and more about what she is doing. On the 23rd October Claire is hosting a free adoption conference, Adoptive Parenting: myths, challenges and contemporary perspectives at the Manchester

43:09

Safeguarding in Adoption - Fiona Wells

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/15

Hello and welcome to a slightly unusual series of episodes of the A&F podcast. In September I joined Fiona wells from PATCH, Friend of the show Vicki McKeown and strategic lead for Adoption England Sarah Johal to speak at the Safeguarding in Adoption online conference. With over 500 tickets requested we were overwhelmed with the interest in this subject that impacts so many families. Fiona an adoptee, adopter & social worker explained the reason for the conference: "Practice towards

48:59

Safeguarding in Adoption - Vicki McKeown

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/12

Hello and welcome to a slightly unusual series of episodes of the A&F podcast. In September I joined Fiona wells from PATCH, Friend of the show Vicki McKeown and strategic lead for Adoption England Sarah Johal to speak at the Safeguarding in Adoption online conference. With over 500 tickets requested we were overwhelmed with the interest in this subject that impacts so many families. Fiona an adoptee, adopter & social worker explained the reason for the conference: "Practice towards

28:46

Episode 17 – What is success?

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/08

In this episode, we’ll explore the big question: What do we mean by success? How are we really measuring it? Is success defined by traditional milestones like career achievements or financial stability, or can it be something more personal and nuanced? We’ll explore how success can look different for everyone, especially when considering individual experiences such as neurodivergence, fostering and adoption. Connect with us - Instagram- BMBUltd Facebook – Better Me Better Us Twitter

57:03

Episode 196 - Scott and Al, #CPV on the telly and...

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/10/05

Hello and welcome to this episode of the podcast. We catch up with some news and reflect on the recent BBC programme 'I am not ok' looking at parents caring for children with violent and agressive behaviour. You can view it here in the UK. We also talk about the recent article in CYPNow by Mark Owers considering the changes that need to be brought in for Adoption. You can view that here. In the chat we talk about a domestic homicide review and you can read that here. Of course we advise caution and

50:37

Conversations - Adult Adoptee Brendan Watkins

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast ·

2024/09/28

Hello and welcome to conversations from the A&F Network. In this episode I speak to adult adoptee Brendan. His experience of being adopted and the challenges of searching for his parents is compounded by the fact that his biological father was a priest. This fact added a layer of complexity and secrecy to what was already a challenging search. Brendan is open about the challenges that he faced across many years as the truth unfolded. Brendan has written account of his experiences and you can

259 results

The Adoption and Fostering Podcast

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Tale Teller Kids™

Sarnia de la Mare

米克馬故事坊

咪萊

Imagination Station

Imagination Station

Die Pferde sind nicht das Problem - und du bist nicht zu blöd. Der Aha-Podcast für Pferdemenschen

Silke Jahn & Maren Diehl

Hanna fragt Papa - Der Podcast für neugierige Kinder und Eltern

Hanna und Thomas Schamberger