Shows
Everything Foster Care.Support That Makes Fostering WorkSend a textThinking about fostering or already caring and craving steadier ground? We talk to the team from Foster Talk about the varied and in depth that they provide in addition to your local authority or independent care agency and open the door on what real support looks like when you’re Fostering a child and navigating systems that don’t always feel simple. From day one clarity to worst day protection, this is a practical guide to feeling less alone and more prepared.We get specific about allegations: how often they arise, what happ...
2026-03-0842 minEverything Foster Care.Why Disability-Focused Fostering Is Easier Than You Think And Richer Than You ImagineSend a textWhat if children with complex health needs didn’t have to grow up in hospitals or residential units, but could experience everyday family life instead with your help? We sit down with Richard Powell, managing director of Credo Care, to unpack how specialist fostering makes that possible — and far more achievable than most imagine.Across 25 years, Credo Care has built a model that treats foster carers as professionals and partners. Richard explains how the message is clear: you don’t need to be a medic to foster brilliantly; you need willing...
2026-02-0741 minEverything Foster Care.Max, Care, and the Making of an AuthorSend a textA name mispronounced, a laugh shared, and then the door opens onto a life where books were the only safe room in the house. We sit down with author and playwright Alan Dapré—63 children’s books and counting—to explore how a childhood in care, a brutal boarding school, and one compassionate nun shaped a creative practice built on dignity, humour, and hope. Alan takes us from libraries that felt like lifelines to Radio 4 plays about leaving care and ageing in care, and he shows how a single line—why be ordinary when you can be ex...
2026-01-3056 minEverything Foster Care.From Newt To Penguin: Writing For Neurodivergent KidsSend a textA child doesn’t need every word to make sense; they need a safe space where rhythm, pictures, and patience invite them in. That’s the spirit of our conversation with author-illustrator Carly Ann Osborne, who blends classroom experience with creative storytelling to help neurodivergent children feel recognised. We explore how The Cute Newt draws from autistic traits and Quinn the Penguin captures ADHD energy, and why those pages matter most when a child says, “I do that.”Carly shares hard-won insights from working in a mainstream school with neurodivergent pupils: listen beyond w...
2026-01-2219 minEverything Foster Care.What It Feels Like To Be In Care And Why More Carers MatterSend a textWhat does care feel like when you are the child being moved, matched, and measured? 'The Hidden Poet' who helps us to understand what it's like to be a powerless child being moved from placement to placement.From the first emergency placement to the moment a teenager is told they are “independent” and handed a key. Through vivid poetry and first-hand stories, we trace how scarcity—too few social workers, foster carers, and children’s homes—turns protective intent into a carousel of rooms and rules, and why better matching depends on growing a...
2026-01-1812 minEverything Foster Care.A Funeral Director Explains Why Personalised Goodbyes Heal Better Than TraditionSend a textGrief doesn’t move in tidy stages, and goodbyes don’t have to look or sound the same. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with funeral director and embalmer Allyse Worland, a first‑generation professional who’s spent nearly seventeen years advocating for compassionate, modern funeral care. Allyse takes us inside a profession that’s shedding stereotypes—opening the doors to personal, participatory, and culturally sensitive services that genuinely help people heal.We talk about the quiet revolution from standardised, mournful ceremonies to celebrations of life that feel true to the person: favour...
2025-12-2638 minEverything Foster Care.From Care to Cliff Edge: Al Dapre’s Poem on Foster Youth, Policy Gaps, and the Push for Better SupportSend us a textA poem can do what policy briefings can’t: make you feel the cost of failure. We sit down with children’s author Al Dapre—who grew up in care and has written 63 books—to share “Cliff Edge,” his searing portrait of what happens when support falls away the day a child becomes “old enough.” The result is raw and unforgettable: a room with a bed, a table, and a stool; neighbours shouting through thin walls; the weight of bills and appointments; and the ever-present risk of trafficking and exploitation lurking beyond the stairwell. It’s...
2025-10-1204 minEverything Foster Care.Breaking Barriers in Foster CareSend a textPeople, we need more people to consider becoming Foster carers which is a paid profession! See if this is for you and if you can get involved.Dive into the heart of foster care with Elle, the passionate founder of Eastern Fostering Services. Her journey from nurse to fostering advocate spans over three decades, rooted in a childhood where fostering was "in her blood" through her experience working with Barnardo's.Elle reveals the stark reality facing the UK's care system today – a deficit of 6,000 foster families while placement requests have sk...
2025-09-1027 minEverything Foster Care.How Female Leaders Are Reshaping Workplaces with CompassionSend us a textThe leadership landscape is changing, but not fast enough. Linda Fisk, founder of Leadership Global, pulls back the curtain on the persistent gender gap in corporate leadership during this revealing conversation about women's path to the C-suite.Drawing from her extensive background as a Chief Marketing Officer for major media corporations like Discovery Channel and Scripps Networks before becoming CEO of multiple organisations, Linda shares startling statistics that paint a stark picture: despite making up 58% of the civil workforce, women hold only 23% of C-suite positions in America, with women of colour...
2025-06-2024 minEverything Foster Care.Meet the Guardian Angel for Your End-of-Life PlanningSend us a textDeath may be the ultimate truth serum, but most of us avoid discussing it until we absolutely must. In this deeply insightful conversation with professional fiduciary Sarah Eklein, we explore why end-of-life planning isn't just about legal documents—it's about creating what she beautifully calls "a legacy of love, not a mess."Sarah draws from her unique experience working with clients in their final life chapters to illuminate the tremendous gift of proper planning. As someone who regularly serves as a conservator, trustee, executor, and healthcare decision maker, she witnesses firsthand th...
2025-05-1932 minEverything Foster Care.Sir John Timpson on Family Values Shape a Business Empire and 90 Foster ChildrenSend a textDiscover the remarkable journey of Sir John Timpson, who transformed both his family's historic business and countless lives through revolutionary management practices and profound personal commitment to fostering children.From the humble beginnings of a shoe shop in 1865, Sir John shares how Timpson evolved into a service empire built on a radical premise: trust your people completely. "There are only two rules," he explains. "Look the part and put the money in the till." This "upside-down management" approach has not only driven business success but created a platform for extraordinary social impact.
2025-05-0837 minEverything Foster Care.From Hurricane to Home: How Fostering Changed Our Family ForeverSend a textA family transformed by fostering shares their raw, honest journey of opening their home to two young children from backgrounds of neglect. After a year of fostering two siblings who arrived unable to use cutlery, without proper clothing, and never having experienced boundaries, this family reveals the beautiful transformation they've witnessed—and experienced themselves.What makes this conversation particularly insightful is the multiple perspectives shared: Sarah, who moved out shortly after the children arrived, describes watching the progress from outside "the hurricane"; Shania, who relates to the children through her own challenging ch...
2025-04-2607 min
TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the HumanitiesHumanities and Science: Representing ScienceAn interdisciplinary discussion exploring the many possible approaches to representing science through the arts, as well as potential challenges The discussion begins with a presentation by Dr Kirsten Shepherd-Barr (Associate Professor in Modern Drama, University of Oxford) examining plays that have included scientific content from the Victorian era to Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn. She will also explore the concept of “mediation”, examining how Frayn and Stoppard mediate the science using biography, history, and metaphor. This will be followed by responses from Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg (Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Oxford), Dr Jason Gaiger (Associate Professor, Contemporary Art History, Univ...
2015-03-1750 min