The Secure Start® Podcast

• #28 What If Child Protection Started Before Harm Happened, with Professor Julie Taylor

  Send us a textImagine a world where we don’t just pull kids out of the river but walk upstream to stop them falling in. That’s the shift we make with Professor Julie Taylor, a leading nurse scientist whose work bridges health, social care, and the lived realities of families under pressure. Together we unpack child maltreatment as a public health challenge, not only a forensic problem, and explore what actually moves the needle on safety and wellbeing.We dig into the socioecological model to map the layers that shape risk and protection: personal histories, family systems, schools, neighbourhoods, services, and policy. Julie reintroduces salutogenesis, the science of what creates health, to rebalance a field that can lean too hard on deficits. Instead of glorifying grit, we ask which supports make resilience possible: stable adults, predictable routines, inclusive classrooms, accessible care, and communities that offer belonging. From universal home visiting to parenting support embedded in trusted relationships, we look at why sustained, long-term help outperforms short, intensive bursts.The conversation also takes on the “shiny program” problem and the evidence gap. We talk practical evaluation, data linkage, and why frontline teams need smaller caseloads, reflective supervision, and time to think. Then we zoom out to big levers. While poverty doesn’t cause abuse, it magnifies stress and chaos; reducing poverty, expanding paid parental leave, improving affordable childcare, and stabilising housing can lower risk at scale. No magic bullet exists, but a public health approach—paired with realistic investment in people and systems—can build social capital across generations.If you care about prevention, policy, and the everyday craft of helping families, this conversation offers clarity and momentum. Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review with the one upstream change you’d fund first. Your insight might spark the next step forward.Julie’s Bio:Professor Julie Taylor is Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Birmingham, UK.Julie is a nurse scientist specialising in child maltreatment and has extensive research experience with vulnerable populations using a wide range of qualitative and participative methods. Her research programme is concentrated at the interface between health and social care and is largely underpinned by the discourse of cumulative harm and the exponential effects of living with multiple adversities. In particular her work has concentrated on child neglect. Professor Taylor has given evidence at a number of inquiries and parliamentary groups and has served frequently on both funding and editorial boards.  She has authored ten books and over 150 academic articles on child abuse and neglect.DisclaimerInformation reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce.Support the show

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• #27 Why Clear Primary Tasks And Brave Authority Transform Children’s Homes, with Tom Ellison

  Send us a textThe work gets easier when the purpose gets clearer. I sit down with social care consultant and leadership trainer Tom Ellison to unpack how a simple, jargon-free primary task can reshape children’s residential care. Tom traces his path from frontline practice to boardrooms and back into coaching, explaining why so many teams know what “good” looks like yet struggle to do it consistently. His answer is both bold and practical: define the primary task, align everyone to it, and use supervision to keep that alignment steady.Tom breaks alignment into a living practice rather than a slogan. He challenges leaders to risk being unpopular, take up their authority without apology, and draw straight lines from daily tasks to therapeutic aims. We examine the tension between Ofsted ratings and child-centred work, and why regulation should guide, not govern, your purpose. Clear responsibility, clean handovers, and a shared culture of safety reduce chaos and create space for growth.We dive into supervision as the engine room of thoughtful care. Tom’s two-part frame—alignment and understanding—helps teams process anxiety, recognise projection and transference in plain language, and turn reflection into action. We talk neurology, trauma-informed practice, and why sanctions often fail. Most of all, we return to practical steps: ask what you’re here to do, what it looks like when done well, what gets in the way, and what the plan is. Keep the language simple, the authority grounded, and the purpose front and centre.If this conversation helps you think and act with more clarity, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review with one insight you’ll apply this week.Tom's Bio:Tom is an accomplished Consultant and leadership trainer with over 30 years in children’s residential care, specialising in innovative leadership and mental health support for young people. Through Elevate Professional Development, launched in 2025, he delivers UK-wide workshops to strengthen care leadership. With 20 years of boardroom experience, Tom has consistently driven strategic leadership and service transformation. Holding a BPS-approved Psychology degree, a Master’s in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies, and postgraduate qualifications in Management and Strategic Management, he blends academic and practical expertise. Currently, he serves as Non-Executive Chair at AMMA Childcare Ltd, Non-Executive Director at Cedars Childcare Ltd and Empathy CIC, and advises the leadership teams of a number of organisations in the third and independentsectors.DisclaimerInformation reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce.Support the show

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• #26 How a Reflective, Respectful Approach Helped Families Choose Healthier Relationships, with Adriana Dias

  Send us a textSome projects change direction without losing their purpose—and that’s where real growth happens. I sit down with Portuguese clinical psychologist Adriana Dias to explore Ravira Volta, a pilot that helped girls in residential care and their birth families build healthier relationships by widening choice, deepening respect, and keeping reflection at the centre of the work. Rather than forcing a linear “turnaround,” Adriana’s team embraced non‑linear change: testing new strategies, adjusting the plan with supervision, and redefining success as the best possible connection for each family.We trace how an external, dedicated team preserved role clarity with the residential home while working systemically across the whole family network. Adriana explains the project’s three layers of reflection—case thinking, design adaptation, and practitioner self-awareness—and why containment is the bridge that turns overwhelming feelings into manageable thought. That process helped parents move from defensiveness to agency, weighing their daughters’ needs alongside their own limits and, at times, choosing partial reunification as the healthiest path.The conversation tackles the hardest dilemma in child protection: children’s urgent developmental timelines versus adults’ slower change. Adriana shows how honest, reflective supervision safeguarded perspective, prevented enmeshment, and kept the team humane and effective. We also talk integration, funding a pilot, and the big shift the team made—from idealistic “full reunification” to a more nuanced aim: sustained, healthy relationships that fit each family’s reality.If you care about child protection, attachment, self-worth, or reflective practice, this one’s for you. Listen, share it with a colleague, and tell us: how would you define a “good outcome”—and what would it take to get there? Subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation.About Adriana:Adriana graduated in Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto in 2006. She later completed a Master's degree in Special Education – with a Specialization in Early Intervention, from the Institute of Education of the University of Minho, in 2011. Adriana is a Full member of the Portuguese Psychologists Association, is specialist in Clinical and Health Psychology, and has advanced specializations in Psychotherapy and Psychology of Justice.Adriana also holds a Postgraduate degree in Child Protection from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, and is currently undertaking a PhD.Adriana recently led the Revira Volta project that sought to build healthy relationships between young people in the care of Livramento, and their birth families.  Disclaimer:Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of pdcast owner, Colby Pearce Support the show

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• #25 How supporting adults creates the safety children need to learn, belong, and heal, with Megan Corcoran

  Send us a textWhat if the most powerful lever for child healing sits with the adults who show up every day? I sat down with trauma-informed educator and Wagtail Institute founder Megan Corcoran to unpack how belonging transforms classrooms—and why staff wellbeing isn’t a “nice to have,” it’s the backbone of consistent care. Drawing on years in alternative education and leadership, Megan lays out a clear path: support adults, stabilise culture, and simple, universal practices will start doing heavy lifting for learning and behaviour.We explore the everyday moves that make a school feel safe: morning check-ins, predictable routines, regulating as a team, and a tone of unconditional positive regard. Megan and I also dig into secondary traumatic stress—what it looks like, how leaders can name it without stigma, and why peer support and supervision prevent professional dangerousness. You’ll hear how communities of practice create accountability and reduce isolation, and why modelling “this was hard—here’s what I’m doing about it” changes a whole culture more than any poster or policy.At the centre I outline a practical compass: AURA—Accessible, Understanding, Responsive, Attuned. Be accessible by noticing early. Be understanding by naming the experience. Be responsive by offering support proactively. Be attuned by matching affect and guiding back to calm. These aren’t therapy techniques; they’re human habits that, done consistently, rebuild trust. We connect this to better learning: regulated nervous systems encode knowledge, and students who feel they belong can take risks, persist, and grow.If you care about trauma-informed education, teacher retention, and real-world strategies that fit into busy days, this conversation will give you a framework you can use tomorrow and a north star you can build a school around. If it resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators and leaders can find it.Who is Megan?Megan Corcoran is the founder of Wagtail Institute, where she works alongside schools, youth services, and complex settings to strengthen wellbeing and build trauma-informed communities. With nearly twenty years’ experience teaching and leading in alternative education, Megan brings both professional expertise and lived understanding to her work.Her vision is simple but powerful: that every child has a safe and magical childhood, supported by adults who believe in their future. At Wagtail Institute, Megan partners with those adults—educators, carers, and practitioners—helping them to feel supported, heal, and thrive, so they can continue doing this important work.Disclaimer:Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of pdcast owner, Colby PearceSupport the show

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• #24 Holding the Helpers, with Richard Cross

  Send us a textWhat if the most transformative thing we can do for children is to care for the carers first? That’s the provocative starting point for a wide-ranging conversation with psychotherapist and clinical leader Richard Cross, whose work brings attachment theory out of the textbook and into daily practice across residential homes, foster services, schools and clinical teams.We explore how containment, supervision, and shared language turn trauma-informed care from a training buzzword into a living culture. Richard breaks down the ATIC approach—Attachment and Trauma Informed Care—built on two parallel pathways: one for staff and one for children. By mirroring the holding and reflection we want adults to offer children, organisations create teams that think clearly under pressure, tolerate uncertainty, and respond with consistency rather than reactivity. Practical structures like “amber flag” meetings and cross-service formulations help stop fragmentation and keep everyone aligned when the stakes are high.We also tackle a contentious question: when is residential care the right first option? For some children who are phobic of family life due to traumatic histories, early, high-quality residential care provides the containment and predictable relationships required to stabilise, re-engage in education, and prepare for future family placements. Richard explains how better assessment, leadership that “walks the talk,” and credible outcome tracking help commissioners trust early interventions that reduce breakdowns and shorten the overall care journey. If you’re a practitioner, leader, foster carer, or policymaker, this conversation challenges short-term thinking and offers grounded, humane ways to match care to need.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review—what’s one change you’d make tomorrow to better care for the carers?Richard’s Bio:Richard is a UK Registered Psychotherapist and Child Psychotherapist.His career for over 30 years has focused on working with relational approaches in areas associated with attachment, trauma and dissociation.Richard’s early career was focused on developing relationally based treatments within correctional environments to reduce recidivism, as well as managing democratic prison-based Therapeutic Communities for high-risk adult life-sentenced offenders (HMP Dovegate, England).Richard collaborated with Sandra Bloom to introduce the Sanctuary Model to the UK in 2004.Since then, Richard has developed an interest in trauma-responsive models and continued his focus on Therapeutic Communities, exploring how to bring these aspects to life in organisational cultures. One example is a multi-component approach called ATIC (Attachment and Trauma-Informed Care), which is now harnessed across multiple residential child care homes. Richard is actively involved in research and innovation, and he also provides consultancy services to organisations, and training to qualified mental health professionals. Richard is Director of Clinical Services at Five Rivers Child Care & Midhurst Children’s Therapeutic Services, where he leads teams of psychologists and psychotherapists. He is also a Fellow and Faculty member of the International Society for Trauma and Dissociation, and serves as a trustee of the Bowlby Centre in London and The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities (TCTC).Disclaimer:Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not refleSupport the show

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