Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Adoption in Focus

In this episode, Leigh and Sarah are joined by Maggie May, a 29-year-old FASD advocate, mentor and adoptee, to explore what it is really like to live with FASD.

 Maggie May shares her personal journey from childhood diagnosis and struggling with school, memory, sensory processing and self-esteem, to discovering her strengths, finding her community and learning to ask for support.

Maggie May also challenges some of the common misconceptions and stigma surrounding FASD, highlighting the importance of listening to people with lived experience and recognising individual strengths and potential. 

Her message is one of hope: success looks different for everyone, and people with FASD should be given the opportunity to discover what they can achieve. 

If you enjoyed this episode we'd love to hear from or, if you have any topics you'd like us to discuss please email: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk

In this episode of Adoption in Focus, Mike and Caroline share their family's journey through early permanence adoption, offering an honest look at what it means to welcome a child into your home while living with uncertainty. 

They reflect on attachment, navigating the unknown, and the emotional realities of caring for a baby who may or may not become a permanent part of your family.

The conversation also explores the practical challenges of the early permanence process, the support that made a difference, and the profound impact that stability and early connection can have on a child's life. Filled with compassion, insight and hope, this episode shines a light on the courage it takes to build a family in a unique and deeply meaningful way.

If you enjoyed this episode we'd love to hear from or, if you have any topics you'd like us to discuss please email: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk

In this episode, we’re joined by Reverend Doctor Sarah to explore how faith can shape the journey of adoption and family life. 

Together we talk about navigating joy and sadness in adoption, welcoming children into communities of faith, and how churches and faith groups can create spaces of belonging that are supportive, inclusive and trauma-aware.

 If you enjoyed this episode we'd love to hear from or, if you have any topics you'd like us to discuss please email: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk

In this episode we’re joined by Alex, a single adopter who shares her honest and deeply personal experience of welcoming an older child into her life. 

Alex reflects on what first drew her to adopting a child over the age of five, and how the reality of introductions, transitions, and early placement differed from what she expected. 

Four years on, Alex shares the lessons she’s learned along the way, offering thoughtful advice for anyone considering adoption of older children. 

In this episode Lisa talks with Jo and Joe about one of the most important and often daunting parts of adoption: contact with birth family.

They’ll share their journey from the early stages of adoption through meeting their daughter’s birth parents, navigating those first emotions, and thinking about what contact might look like in the future. 

Their experience is a powerful reminder that every family’s journey is unique, and that staying open, curious, and child-focused can make contact a positive part of adoption. 

Thank you for listening, and a huge thank you to Jo and Joe for sharing their story so openly.

Chris shares his personal journey as an adoptee, reflecting on the lifelong impact of early trauma after being removed from his biological parents as a baby and adopted at the age of two. Although he has no conscious memory of this time, becoming a father himself brought a powerful realisation of the significance of those early separations, prompting him to explore adoption, attachment, and identity more deeply 
 
Chris highlights the importance of open conversations, mental health support, and community for adoptees, as well as greater understanding from society and adoptive parents. Through learning, therapy, and connection with other adoptees, Chris has gained clarity, self-compassion, and a stronger sense of who he is.

If you have something you'd like to talk to us about on the podcast please get in touch: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

In this moving and insightful episode, John takes us through the journey he and his partner undertook to grow their family through adoption. 

He reflects on the emotional highs and lows of the matching process, the importance of patience and preparedness, and the moment their son finally came home a turning point that made every challenge along the way worthwhile. 

John’s candid account offers a powerful reminder that while every adoption story is unique, the love and resilience at the heart of the journey are universal. 

If you have a topic you'd like to speak to us about please get in touch: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk 

This episode offers a heartfelt look at parenting through trauma, neurodiversity and adoption. Our guest, Gail shares her family's journey from the challenges that surfaced with the arrival of a new sibling to the healing and connection that followed. 

If you have a topic you'd like to speak to us about please get in touch: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk 

In this special Black History Month episode, we’re joined by Leroy to talk about adoption within the Black community why representation matters, the challenges that still exist, and how community and culture play a vital role in a child’s sense of identity and belonging.

It’s an honest, heartfelt conversation Leroy address the barriers the black community may have to adoption and what it really means to create a safe, loving, stable family. 

If this conversation inspires you to learn more about adoption, reach out to us here at Adoption Focus for more information and support.

www.adoption-focus.org.uk

 In this episode, the team at Adoption Focus discusses the recent cuts to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) and what they mean for adoptive families. 

Despite funding being reduced and introduced with little notice, the team reassures listeners that support from Adoption Focus remains unaffected. 

They explain the impact on therapy access, how families can continue to get help, and the importance of reaching out no matter how big or small the issue. 

You're not alone, and support is still here for you. 

In this episode, we sit down with Sunny, a Sikh mother whose path to adoption led her to embrace a love that transcends cultural boundaries. 

With remarkable honesty and warmth, Sunny shares her journey from the initial doubts and fears about how her decision might be received within her community, to the powerful support she found along the way. 

She opens up about what it means to honour her Sikh faith while welcoming a child from a different heritage, and how this experience has deepened both her spiritual and personal identity.

In this heartfelt episode, we sit down with Jonathan, a father who shares his family's powerful adoption journey from the early conversations and assessment process to welcoming his son James home and navigating life together into adulthood.

With honesty and warmth, Jonathan reflects on the challenges, triumphs, and lasting impact of adoption. Whether you're exploring adoption or well along the path, his story offers comfort, insight, and inspiration.

We hope you enjoy this episode. If you have any topics you'd like us to cover or you have a story to share please get in touch: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk 

 In this episode of Adoption in Focus, Lisa sits down with Amy and Andy, a couple with four birth children who chose to grow their family through adoption.

They share their unique journey of adopting their youngest son at 18 months old, offering heartfelt insights into the adoption process, how they supported their birth children throughout, and what it means to parent a child they have transracially adopted.

We hope this episode encourages reflection on how we can all celebrate and champion a child’s ethnicity, culture, and heritage. 

In this episode, we're joined by a brilliant same-sex couple who speak candidly about their journey to becoming dads, from the first steps in the adoption process, the highs and lows, what family life looks like for them now, and their love for their son. 

 They tell their story with equal parts of honesty and humour in a conversation that's funny, moving and refreshingly real. 

In our latest episode Leigh is joined by Sarah, an adoptive mom of two who talks to us about her adoption experiences, right from the moment she decided to adopt to now being used as a bouncy castle by her two children. 
 
 Sarah paints an honest picture of the adoption process and parenting, full of ups and downs but the rewards endless. 

In this episode, Leigh is joined by Miles, who you might know from season two of The Traitors. Miles and his husband adopted two children with Adoption Focus, and here he reflects thoughtfully and insightfully on his family’s journey to adoption. Among the areas covered are, his experience of the adoption process and family finding, support from family and elsewhere, the role of ethnicity, culture and identity in adoption, and parenting two daughters as a gay couple.

If you have any questions about this episode or would be interested in joining us on a future podcast yourself, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk.

During this episode Leigh is joined by a set of Grandparents who tell us all about their experience of the adoption process, how they supported their daughter throughout and what it was like becoming grandparents to an adopted child.

If you've adopted with Adoption Focus and would like to speak about your experiences, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

 If you have any requests for podcast topics you’d like us to cover, we'd love to get those too.

In this episode,  Lisa is joined by one of our adopters to talk about their positive, personal experience around birth family contact.

Their discussion covers the benefits and challenges of contact, preconceptions, worries and what their children's experiences were like.

Adoption Focus adopters with queries or concerns about contact can speak to our adoption support team anytime. If you have any questions about this episode or would be interested in joining us on a future podcast yourself, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk.

In this episode, Leigh is joined by adoptee, poet, writer, African drummer, and public speaker Michelle “Mother” Hubbard. Michelle shares her experience of transracial adoption, exploring her heritage, finding her birth family and forming her own identity. 

For this episode we are joined by Janette who was adopted as a young child. She talks about what adoption means to her, how it has impacted her life positively and what it was like growing up knowing she was adopted.

If you've adopted with Adoption Focus and would like to speak about your experiences, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

 If you have any requests for podcast topics you’d like us to cover, we'd love to get those too.

In this episode Leigh talks to Natalie about the adoption process, early permanence and contact between siblings.

"They were amazing brothers straight away. You see them together and think well, that's just how it was meant to be."

"Being open to that help, support and advice and note being embarrassed to ask for it, to us is massive."

"It is amazing, it is hard work, but it is amazing, we feel really privileged to be adopters. To be able to be part of their life."

If you've adopted with Adoption Focus and would like to speak about your experiences, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

 If you have any requests for podcast topics you’d like us to cover, we'd love to get those too.

We were so lucky to be joined by Jodie who adopted a brother and sister with her partner through Adoption Focus.

Jodie talks about the highs and lows of their journey through the adoption process and how proud she is of the bond her children now have.

If you've adopted with Adoption Focus and would like to speak about your experiences, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

If you have any requests for podcast topics you’d like us to cover, we'd love to get those too.

In this episode, Lisa speaks to Nathan who adopted his children with Adoption Focus 10 years ago. Nathan reflects candidly on his journey as a single adopter, covering areas including expectations versus reality, challenges faced, achievements, triggers, enjoying family life, and his pride in his children as they grow up into teenagers.

If you've adopted with Adoption Focus and would like to speak about your experiences, please email us at podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

If you have any requests for podcast topics you’d like us to cover, we'd love to get those too.

We were so lucky for Adoption Focus’ Laura to be joined by Judd and Matt one of our Adoption Focus same sex couples for a fantastic podcast episode about their adoption journey, the adoption support they are receiving and parenting with PACE.

If you would like to find out how to access our fantastic adoption support or if you’d like any more information on different topics please get in touch: podcast@adoption-focus.org.uk. 

In this episode Leigh talks to Sophie, an adoptee and one of our panel members. She talks to us about panel and her personal experiences of adoption including the importance of life story work and supporting our families with contact. 

In the first episode, Leigh is joined by Adoption Focus CEO Anna Sharkey. Anna gives a fascinating insight into her background and her personal and professional experiences of adoption, talks about the history and current situation with the voluntary adoption sector, and offers advice for adopters and those considering starting the process.