Let's Talk Fostering & Adoption

Two dads, Lee and Bobby, share their journey adopting siblings, from the validation of being approved as parents to navigating their sons' unique personalities and trauma responses. Their story highlights the importance of maintaining connections with foster carers while developing therapeutic approaches to parenting children who've experienced neglect.

• Equal treatment in the adoption process regardless of being a same-sex couple
• Building productive relationships with the foster carer who had cared for the boys for 18 months
• Honoring children's life stories and past experiences rather than seeing foster care as just "a holding room"
• Understanding and supporting different trauma responses
• Accessing post-adoption support including play therapy and life story work
• Learning therapeutic parenting techniques that help disarm fight-or-flight responses
• Creating support networks through extended family and professional resources

If you'd like to hear more from the Barnardo's fostering and adoption NI podcast, like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about fostering adoption with us, search for Barnardo's online or find the link in our program description.

Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
 https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To arrange a no-strings call visit
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster/register-to-foster

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email Ness at: [email protected]

Changing childhoods, changing lives.

Parent and child fostering brings unique challenges as you welcome both a vulnerable young parent and their baby into your home for an intensive placement. We explore the delicate balance between supporting new parents while documenting their progress, and how these specialised placements can transform lives.
Ness chats with Laura, a Parent and Child foster carer, and Ben from the BFANI social work team. 

• Placements typically last three months due to their intensive 24/7 nature
• Foster carers primarily support the parent to develop their own parenting skills rather than directly caring for the baby
• The first six weeks focus on support and guidance, while the second half allows parents to demonstrate independence
• Foster carers often become advocates for young parents among the many professionals involved

Search for Barnardo's online to learn more about fostering and adoption with us.

Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
 https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To arrange a no-strings call visit
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster/register-to-foster

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email Ness at: [email protected]

Changing childhoods, changing lives.

Therapeutic parenting recognises children's behaviour as communication and focuses on nurturing connections to help children who've experienced trauma develop trust and security. Unlike traditional parenting approaches, therapeutic parenting requires understanding a child's inner world and developmental needs rather than simply managing behaviours.

• Therapeutic parenting is not about being a therapist but about healing through nurturing relationships
• Children who enter care have experienced trauma and have different developmental starting points
• Traditional parenting techniques like time-outs can trigger feelings of rejection in care-experienced children
• Children learn who they are through how others respond to them
• Care-experienced children often function at a younger emotional age despite their chronological age
• Children with early trauma often develop internal working models where they feel unsafe and unlovable
• Building predictable, safe experiences helps traumatised children slowly develop trust

If you'd like to hear more from the Barnardo's Fostering and Adoption NI podcast, like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about fostering adoption with us, search for Barnardo's online or find a link in our program description.

Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
 https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To arrange a no-strings call visit
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster/register-to-foster

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email Ness at: [email protected]

Changing childhoods, changing lives.

What happens when a child in foster care asks the profound questions: "Who am I?" "Why am I here?" or "What happened to my parents?" These seemingly simple questions require thoughtful, age-appropriate responses that honour a child's right to understand their own story while protecting their emotional wellbeing.

Meet Emma, an Art Therapist, from our Barnardo's Glasgow service who shares how creative approaches offer unique pathways for children to express and process difficult emotions. With the use of a fictional case study, Sharon, a supervising social worker from our Northern Ireland service, walks us through how narrative work can help a child feel orientated within their own story. 
Whether you're a foster carer, social worker, therapist, or simply interested in supporting vulnerable children, this conversation offers invaluable insights into how thoughtful story work helps children integrate difficult experiences into a coherent narrative that supports healthy identity development.

Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
 https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To arrange a no-strings call visit
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster/register-to-foster

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email Ness at: [email protected]

Changing childhoods, changing lives.

Thinking about fostering but feeling overwhelmed by the process? Too busy to listen to the longer episode? We've got your back!

This bitesize episode pulls back the curtain on the fostering assessment, walking you through exactly what to expect from your first contact with Barnardo's through to the home visit and beyond. We address common misconceptions head-on: No, you don't need parenting experience. Yes, your spare bedroom currently being used as an office is completely fine. And that home visit? It's not about judging your housekeeping skills!

Our fostering specialists explain the essential criteria (being at least 21, having some experience with children, and having a spare bedroom) while emphasizing that the assessment process is designed to be supportive rather than intimidating. We explore what actually happens during a home visit, why your support network matters so much, and how social workers help match you with the right type of fostering opportunity - whether that's short-term placements, long-term care, or fostering to adopt.

Perhaps most importantly, we highlight that fostering assessment is a two-way conversation. It's as much about you understanding the realities of caring for children from the care system as it is about us understanding your motivation and circumstances. The journey to becoming a foster carer should feel informative and empowering rather than overwhelming.
To hear more from Ben, visit https://www.buzzsprout.com/2224608/episodes/13498142-navigating-the-fostering-assessment-process-with-ben-rice
Ready to take the first step? The children who need stable, loving homes are waiting. Search for Barnardo's online or follow the link in our program description to learn more about fostering with us.
Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
 https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To arrange a no-strings call visit
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/foster/register-to-foster

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email Ness at: [email protected]

Changing childhoods, changing lives.