Adoption, Fostering & Tea: The New Family Social Podcast

Pippa and Hannah have been together for 13 years. After they married, Pippa transitioned and, although having a biological child was an option for them, they have chosen to apply to adopt instead. Now at the end of stage one, they talk about their journey and whether they should have one child or two! They also talk about how the New Family Social summer camp gave them renewed confidence and a lot of new friends. Warning - this podcast contains strong language.

Alexander and his husband fostered their son from three days old, then adopted him a year later. They've had direct contact with the birth father for the last five years, informal contact with the birth siblings and letterbox contact with the birth mother.

Brandon, a single prospective adopter, was sailing through Stage One of the assessment when suddenly he was told he wouldn't be recommended for Stage Two and should take a year out. During that year, Brandon made various changes. He also gathered all of his courage and volunteered at the New Family Social Summer Camp which he describes as "magic". Hear how Brandon built his support network and found the strength to resume his adoption journey.

Geoff joined us on the podcast when he'd had his sons for just three months. On this episode, he talks about how the last couple of years with kids have been and how he initially struggled to adjust to parenthood but how he's found his feet now.

Jamie talks about the three-and-a-half years he's spent with his son, who arrived when he was 18 months old. He talks about what he learnt about himself as an adopter, how he managed a recurrence of his own anxiety, an ADHD diagnosis and how he sought support for his son's sensory needs. Follow Jamie on Instagram here

Ross used to listen to this podcast and wonder how his own adoption journey might go, especially since his agency was concerned he didn't have enough childcare experience. A year later, he had his one-year-old son and he's loving every minute of it!

Aubrey returns to the podcast. It's three years since he adopted his children who are now five and eleven. He talks about how well they're doing in school, raising kids of a different gender and ethnicity to his own, and his hopes for the future. Adopting age-gap siblings

Laura and her partner adopted a child after IVF, miscarriages and bereavement. They talk about deciding when it's the right time, supporting their birth daughter, and the resilience their experiences have given them.

Yannick returns to the podcast now his son has been with him for a year. He talks about how assertive he and his husband were with all the agencies involved in their child's adoption. They pushed back against a checklist approach and advocated for their child's individual needs. Yannick's previous podcast

Molly and Zoe return to the podcast after they changed adoption agency during assessment. They talk about a very bumpy family finding process and the children they're going to be matched with tomorrow. Changing agency and volunteering at summer camp Molly and Zoe's previous episode

Jake's daughters have different birth families to each other but both children have face-to-face contact with their birth parents. Jake talks about how they prepared for this as a family and the challenges and benefits of this fairly uncommon arrangement. He explains how the meetings can be emotionally charged, sometimes awkward but still beneficial for everyone.

Stuart and Bradley return to the podcast to tell us how the first year has been with their son. They talk about attachment, nursery, bonding over time and how thrilled they are to be his parents.

Seren is an asexual, single adopter. She has Complex PTSD due to her abusive childhood. After years of mental health problems, she reached the end of her NHS therapy and tried to take her own life. She was able to access more therapy which is how she realised what happiness could feel like and how she knew she wanted to adopt. Initially, her agency didn't think she was ready but she wasn't deterred and eventually began the journey which led her to adopter a brother and sister. She talks about how parenting her children has made her "the happiest and most fulfilled I've ever been" and how she manages triggers and challenges. If you need someone to talk to, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit their webpage Samaritans

Stuart and Simon return, having featured on two previous podcasts. They talk about their kids' additional needs and the laborious process of securing support for them. They also talk about joyful family moments, including taking their Disney princess on a rollercoaster! Previous episode here

George and Stuart were approved for Early Permanence and picked up a newborn baby less than two weeks later. They talk about their straightforward assessment, contact with the birth family, and why a super-kingsize bed should be on your must-buy list!

Alex and Peter adopted a six-year-old after being turned down for another child. They talk about their assessment and matching process, the attachment therapy that changed everything, and why they hope others will consider older children.

Vivienne has been a foster carer for eight years. An eight month old baby called Bill was placed with her, initially for just a week, but he ended up staying for nearly two years. In the meantime, in another part of the country, Carlos and his partner were talking about adopting. They had a bad experience with their first agency but changed to another and were approved. Browsing Linkmaker, they saw Bill's profile and hoped he might be the child for them. On this podcast, Vivienne and Carlos talk about how their paths met when Carlos adopted Bill.

Emily and Jude have completed their assessment process and have just seven days until panel. They're hoping to be approved as early permanence carers for a baby under a year old. Emily talks about how they decided on adoption and what they learnt as volunteers at New Family Social's Summer Camp (including mud pie recipes!). Emily talked about how she listened to other episodes of this podcast to help her decide whether she could cope with the uncertainty of early permanence.

Fay talks about adopting her two-year-old son after three rounds of IVF, including one miscarriage. She had heard about how much longer black children wait for adoptive families and felt that adoption would be the right way to parenthood for her. Family life has brought Fay and her wife so much happiness and she talks about the importance of play and the need for patience!

Monty and his husband were approved for Early Permanence and had a tiny baby placed with them. Just a couple of months later, they were asked if they'd adopt the baby's older sibling. Monty talks about delays in their assessment process, becoming a parent twice in less than six months, and how much joy their children have brought them. Monty recommends this book: Undertaking an adoption assessment in England