Shows
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastReducing Conflict Through MediationIn this episode of #alwayschildfocused: Questions, we invited Michele Silver from The Mediation Team back to the podcast to discuss the benefits of mediation for your children. This very earnest episode may include some challenging ideas for separating parents however this is an episode that we believe is so important for an #alwasychildfocused approach to post separation parenting.
2023-01-1915 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastWhy Litigate If You Can Mediate?In this episode of #alwayschildfocused: Questions, we invited Michele Silver from The Mediation Team to chat with Ben & Jakki about how mediation works and why it can be a more advantageous approach for separating parents. This is a fascinating podcast about an often times misunderstood approach to Family Dispute Resolution that every parent traversing the family court process should listen to.
2022-10-1820 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastQuestions: Self Confidence and Self-Defence
This was destined to be a super-fun episode of #alwayschildfocused: Questions and it did not disappoint! We were thrilled to have Sav, the professor and owner of Gracie Jiu Jitsu Botany and Vicki - both of whom fit into that special category of human being who have a passion for coaching children as well as children with additional needs.
Gracie Botany is just around the corner from our head office and even from the outside - looks like one of the happiest places in Sydney (Sav at left and Christian at right in the image) .
What does jiu jitsu have to...
2022-10-1220 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastQuestions: Big Feelings in Little People
Our Service Manager Jakki happened across the Inspiraminds stall at a local weekend markets recently and within a few minutes she invited Dominique onto the podcast to discuss her passion. You’ll only have to listen for 60 seconds to be as captivated as we were.
Inspiraminds provides a series of books to support children’s understanding of big feelings
and emotional regulation. Now we think you’ll agree that a fair amount of adults have trouble regulating their emotions so why wouldn't we want to support our children to be better at it?
What an amazing skill to learn! And with char...
2022-10-1221 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastQuestions: Why Does My Child Need An ICL?
Of all the important responsibilities our Service Manager Jakki has in her role, the most important is with the child. Right after that is having a close working relationship with Independent Children's Lawyers (ICLs) who are often appointed by the court to represent the child throughout family court matters.
In this episode we had the great privilege to have Julie Shedden as our guest - with her decades of experience in family law that includes working as a family lawyer, an ICL and a Family Court Registrar - and we were going to make the most of this unique opportunity.
Ja...
2022-10-1213 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastQuestions: Demystifying the Role of Family Lawyers
Pamela Cominos, Principal of Cominos Family Lawyers joins us in this straight to the point, no nonsense episode about the role of family lawyers.
Benefit from Pamela's decades of experience in this episode as she outlines what family lawyers should want for their clients and their children. According to Pamela, a good family lawyer will be a peacemaker who is able to tell their clients 'the kind truth' when it comes to children.
So whilst this could be challenging listening for some parents - it also features some incredibly valuable content from an expert in her field so make the ef...
2022-10-1209 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastIdeas: Wollongong LibraryOn this podcast one of our Wollongong contact workers Leanne join us to discuss visits in Wollongong library. Great for all ages, Wollongong library has lots of quiet places and great opportunities for children to build their relationship with the parent they don’t live with. A great wet weather option for Wollongong visits - make sure you have a listen
2022-09-2307 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastIdeas: Tuggerah WestfieldCentral Coast Contact Worker Debbie joins the #alwayschildfocused podcast to talk about her experience doing visits in Tuggerah Westfield. Starting out with Iplay (formerly known as Timezone) for air hockey followed by food and drink at some of the cafes (or more likely McDonald’s) which kid of any age doesn’t want to spend time with the visiting parent here?
2022-09-2307 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastIdeas: Thirroul Park, THIRROULLeanne join us again on the alwayschildfocused podcast to discuss Thirroul Park north of the Wollongong CBD. The park boasts new play equipment including a flying fox (always a winner!), access to the beach (ankles only) and a short walk from some great cafes for some snacks. This is the perfect location for children to have nice bonding experiences with the parent they don’t live with and demonstrates why community based visits provide more opportunities for varied experiences.
2022-09-2305 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastIdeas: Lions Park Woy WoyContact Worker Debbie joins the #alwayschildfocused podcast again, this time to discuss visits at the picturesque Lions Park in Woy Woy - complete with pelicans. Perfect for outdoor picnics and playing ball games, there is also opportunity for fishing for an organised visiting parent! Fishing with your child? Yes please!
2022-09-2307 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastContact: Understanding Children’s Experience of Contact
This episode is an absolute must listen to for any parent going through separation. This is the ultimate #alwayschildfocused episode
This episode introduces our Assistant Service Manager Natalie - our highly skilled and experienced child and family therapist. Nat drops by to discuss with Jakki the effects of separation on children, some of the signs to look out for and how parents can support their child through separation and contact visits. Also in this episode Nat names two books that she strongly recommends to parents going through separation and as promised here are there details and where to buy them:
'Li...
2022-09-1910 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastContact: How To Read Your First Visit ReportJakki and Sam return to support parents who are about to read their first report and as Jakki mentions right at the top of the podcast - it can be confronting for both parents. So this podcast is really about validating those common emotions that parents feel when they read their first report, with Jakki and Sam discussing how you should process those feelings and what supports parents can put in place to manage those emotions and prepare for the next visit.
Holding Hands recommends families who have completed their first visit listen to this podcast while they are waiting f...
2022-09-1909 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastContact: Getting Prepared For Your First Visit
First visits are challenging for everyone. For the visiting parent there are the nerves and excitement in the lead up to the day; for the residential parent there may be anxiety about being separated from your child for a few hours and of course we know from research that children pick up on their parents emotions.
Jakki and Sam are back in this episode to guide you through these emotions - and it's important to recognise that you are experiencing these emotions as that is a positive first step.
Holding Hands recommends families who have completed the intake process and ar...
2022-09-1911 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastContact: The Importance of Child Familiarisation Sessions
Child Familiarisation Sessions are an important part of the intake process at Holding Hands and should form a part of children's contact visits. These sessions are the first time your child and the parent they live with have to meet your allocated contact worker. This opportunity to start building trust often decreases any anxiety a child has in the lead up to their first contact visit - which we think all parents would agree is incredibly important.
Join Jakki, Sam and Ben as they discuss this all important pre visit session and the benefits it has for your child as th...
2022-09-1906 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastContact: The ins and outs of Intake AssessmentsIntake Assessments at Holding Hands are conducted by our Senior Contact Workers which is why Jakki is introducing one of our Senior Contact Workers Sam on to the podcast. Take the opportunity to be introduced to sam as she explains why we do intake assessments and what happens during an intake assessment .
This episode is highly recommended for parents who are about to have their intake assessment interviews with Holding Hands.
2022-09-1909 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastContact: Welcome to ContactPerfect for parents who have courts orders for supervised contact or those families making their initial enquiries with contact service providers. Get to know our Service Manager Jakki as she discusses what contact is and how community based children's contact visits are facilitated at Holding Hands.
This episode is strongly recommended for parents who have just received court orders for contact visits or have agreed to contact visits in mediation or as part of a parenting agreement.
2022-09-1911 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Ten - and we‘re back doing face to face visits!We're celebrating reaching our tenth episode of #alwayschildfocused and the end of lockdown in NSW. This episode is a great place to start for families wishing to have contact now that the restrictions have lifted.
First Up: Jakki discusses the new requirements for parents wanting face-to-face visits with our Service.
Next: Our Senior Contact Workers, Lauren and Lisa, discuss 'reconnection anxiety' and the challenges children may be experiencing in recommencing face to face contact.
Then: Sam, one of our Parent Support Specialists, chats with Ben about self care for parents. The end of l...
2021-10-2018 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Nine - Lockdown Continues..... so does Online Contact VisitsUp First: Jakki discusses why the team are not doing face-to-face visits during this lockdown whilst Nat considers the benefits of doing online contact visits.
Next: Clare and Lauren return to discuss some of their more recent experiences in online contact visits with our families. Some great ideas worth listening to.
Then: Nikki from Nikki Snow Fitness joins us to workshop some fun exercises to do with your child to mix it up a bit during online contact. No equipment necessary but you will need a dice! This is a segment not...
2021-08-1914 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Eight - The Role of the Contact WorkerUp First: Contact Workers - The Reality Vs The Perception
Ben and Jakki discuss the difference between the sometimes negative perceptions about what Contact Workers do in contrast to the reality of role they actually perform.
Then: Contact Worker as Role Model
Clare from our contact team joins the podcast to share with listeners her experience supporting one of her visiting fathers, Ray, with a little role
modelling.
Finally: A Visiting Dad's Perspective
We welcome Ray to the podcast to discuss a few of his experiences as her progressed from contact visi...
2021-07-3017 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Seven - Work Collaboratively - Bypass ConflictUp first: Collaborative Law with Cassandra Kalpaxis
Cassandra Kalpaxis from Kalpaxis Legal joins us to discuss collaborative family law - what is it? How does it work? Is it possible to by-pass conflict enough to avoid court?
Then: What actually is conflict?
Sam from our Parent Support Team talks about what conflict is, how it effects children and importantly - what parents can do to keep children out of conflict.
Finally: Avoiding conflict in children's contact visits
Jakki joins Ben to provide some advice to parents entering the service...
2021-07-2316 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Six - Meet Our Contact Team (well... some of them)In Episode Six Ben persuades some of our contact team to stay back after our monthly team meeting to answer 6 questions about themselves. The perfect podcast for new families entering the Service who want to get to know a little more about their contact worker. Be sure to have a listen to the last question - What advice would they share for a new families first contact visit - some really valuable answers!
2021-07-1410 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Five - ChangeoversUp First: With the lockdown in its second week, Jakki tells us about changeovers - what they are and why families use them.
Then: Chanel chats with Ben about what a good changeover is, where changeovers can get challenging and what she likes to buy when she does changeovers at Ikea (hint - $1 hotdogs)
2021-07-0708 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Four - Online Contact Visits #contactwithoutcovidUp First: Online Contact Visits - Safety First
With the lockdown set to continue until the 9th July 2021, Jakki talks about how Holding Hands Family Services conducts Online Contact Visits in both a physically safe and emotionally safe environment.
Then: An hour online - how to make the most of it
Lisa chats with Ben about how with the right preparation and some imagination - online contact visits can be a fun alternative when the lockdown doesn't provide you with another choice.
Finally: Kids Go Through Separation To...
2021-06-3011 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Three - Child Familiarisation SessionsIn Episode Three Jakki chats with Contact Worker Chanel about a contact visit in the Botanical Gardens. Lisa and Contact Worker Kerry discuss the Hows and Whys of Child Familiarisation Sessions and Natalie shares some ideas for supporting your child (and yourself) in the lead up to the very first Contact Visit.
2021-03-0725 minThe #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode Two - Intake AssessmentsIn this episode, Jakki chats with Contact Worker Sarah about a visit to the beach, Benjamin chats with Senior Contact Workers Lisa and Lauren about Intake Assessments - a crucial part of our intake process and we introduce our new segment 'What You're Feelings is Normal' with our parent support specialists Nicole and Sam.
2021-02-2515 min
The #alwayschildfocused PodcastEpisode One - Welcome to Children's Contact VisitsIn our first podcast Jakki chats with Nicole from our Wollongong Contact Team about a wonderful reunions between father and child. Jakki also discusses community based contact visits. Natalie introduces her new segment and discusses what to tell your kids when you separate.
2021-02-0817 min