In this powerful episode of Care Visions: Family Talk, host Lucy Johnston is joined by Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister for an in-depth conversation on the future of fostering reform in the UK.
Drawing on his experience leading the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, the Minister sets out an ambitious vision to transform a system he says has become too focused on process rather than people. He speaks candidly about the urgent need to recruit 10,000 new foster carers and dismantle the bureaucratic barriers preventing loving families from stepping forward.
From applicants being turned away for owning a chest freezer, to rigid rules around bedrooms, therapy histories, or working full-time, this episode explores how “box-ticking over belonging” has shaped fostering approvals — and why change is now essential.
The conversation also tackles the stark realities behind the foster carer shortage: children being placed miles from home, separated from schools and communities, and too often moved into unregulated or unsuitable settings.
With plans to speed up approvals, widen eligibility, improve support, and invest millions into the sector, this episode offers both a frank assessment of the challenges and a hopeful roadmap for reform.
If you care about the future of fostering, children’s social care, and creating stable, loving homes, this is an essential listen.

In this episode of Care Visions: Professional Talk, host Humphrey Hawksley is joined by Claire Cameron, the UK’s first Professor of Social Pedagogy, for a rich and reflective conversation about care, relationships, and professional practice.
Claire is based at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, part of the UCL Social Research Institute at University College London. Her career spans residential care, frontline social work, research, and policy, giving her a uniquely grounded perspective on how care systems function and how they can do better.
Together, Humphrey and Claire explore:
What social pedagogy is and why it is increasingly relevant in today’s care landscape
The role of relationships, ethics, and everyday practice in supporting children and families
How care systems can move beyond procedures and compliance towards more human, relational approaches
What practitioners, leaders, and organisations can learn from pedagogical thinking
Drawing on her early career in residential care and social work, Claire reflects on how care has evolved over time, where it risks losing its relational core, and how social pedagogy offers a hopeful and practical framework for the future.
This episode will be of particular interest to professionals working in care, social work, fostering, residential settings, education, and policy, as well as anyone interested in how we support people with dignity, compassion, and purpose.

In this episode of Care Visions Family Talk, host Lucy Johnston is joined by Mary Sharpe, Chief Executive of The Reward Foundation, for an open and informative conversation about the impact of online pornography on young people’s brains, wellbeing, relationships, and development.

Together they explore why children are being exposed at increasingly young ages, how the adolescent brain responds to highly stimulating online content, and what families, carers, and professionals can do to support young people with understanding rather than fear or judgement. The discussion draws on neuroscience, health research, and real-world experience, offering reassurance and practical insight for anyone navigating this sensitive topic.

This episode is not about blame. It’s about awareness, compassion, and helping young people grow up informed, safe, and supported in a digital world.

🎧 Available now as part of Care Visions Talks on all major podcast platforms.

Resources & Links Mentioned

The Reward Foundation
https://rewardfoundation.org

Your Brain on Porn
https://www.yourbrainonporn.com

Reward Foundation – Parent’s Guide
https://rewardfoundation.org/parents-guide/

Reward Foundation – Healthcare Professionals Course
https://rewardfoundation.org/healthcare-professionals/

Reward Foundation – Schools & Lesson Plans
https://rewardfoundation.org/schools/

Naked Truth Project
https://nakedtruthproject.com

NoFap
https://www.nofap.com

Stop It Now!
https://www.stopitnow.org

World Health Organization – ICD-11
https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/classification-of-diseases

In this episode of Family Talk, Linda de Caestecker is joined by Gael Cochrane, Learning, Development and Innovation Lead at Community Justice Scotland, to explore how pornography and the online “manosphere” are shaping the lives, attitudes and relationships of young people today.

Drawing on the Many Good Men project and years of experience in sexual health, relationships education and justice social work, Gael explains:

• How early and often children are now exposed to pornography
• The links between porn, misogyny, the manosphere and influencers like Andrew Tate
• How violent and extreme content is becoming normalised in teenage relationships
• The impact on self-esteem, body image, consent, intimacy and mental health

Most importantly, Linda and Gael talk about what parents, carers and grandparents can actually do: setting boundaries around devices, using parental controls, opening up honest conversations, supporting boys to express their emotions and helping young people recognise healthy relationships and respect.

This is a frank but hopeful conversation, offering practical ideas to help adults support the children and young people they care about to stay safe, informed and connected.

Poverty, Phones and the Future of Childhood
with host Lucy Johnston and guest Mary Glasgow

In this compelling episode, host Lucy Johnston speaks with Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive of Children 1st, about the urgent challenges shaping modern childhood in Scotland. Together they explore how poverty, the digital world, post-lockdown behaviours, family stress, and community strain are impacting children — and what adults can do to genuinely support them.

Mary offers grounded, real-world insight into why children’s behaviour has shifted, why families feel more overwhelmed than ever, and how strong relationships, early intervention and community-based support can transform children’s futures. This conversation is a clear, compassionate look at what childhood needs now — and how we can build a Scotland where every child feels safe, connected and able to thrive.

A must-listen for carers, parents, social workers, educators and anyone invested in the wellbeing of Scotland’s young people.

Host: Humphrey Hawksley
Guests:

• Associate Professor Yvalia Febrer, Associate Professor of Social Work, Kingston University London
• Danny Henderson, Service Manager, Care Visions

Episode Summary:
How do we move beyond systems and structures to create spaces of belonging for young people in residential care? In this thoughtful discussion, Associate Professor Yvalia Febrer and Danny Henderson join Humphrey Hawksley to explore the human side of care — where relationships, trust, and reflection shape real outcomes.

They discuss the roots of social pedagogy, its practical value for teams, and how it empowers both carers and young people to learn, grow, and flourish together.

Listen to explore:

• Why belonging is the foundation for becoming
• The balance between care and education
• What reflective practice really looks like in a team
• How social pedagogy can shift organisational culture

A rich, reflective conversation that reminds us: care is not just what we do — it’s how we connect.

Why are so many boys feeling angry, numb, lonely or adrift — and who’s rushing in to offer them answers?

In this conversation, Lucy Johnston speaks with Mark Brooks OBE, chair of the Mankind Initiative and a leading voice on men’s wellbeing and healthy masculinity. Together they explore why some boys and young men are getting pulled towards misogynistic online influencers, and what parents, carers, schools and communities can actually do about it.

We talk about:

• The “manosphere”: why some content hooks boys in, and why most boys don’t actually believe the worst of it
• Loneliness, shame and quiet sedation — boys disappearing into their bedrooms instead of acting out
• Pornography, gambling and algorithms that keep pushing harmful content
• Suicide risk in boys and young men, and why so many reach crisis before anyone realises
• The impact of school, role models and male identity (including why boys often feel judged before they’ve done anything wrong)
• How to talk to a teenage boy you’re worried about, without pushing him further away
• Why “toxic masculinity” is not helping, and what boys actually need instead: possibilities, pathways and people on their side
• How dads, foster carers and male carers can change a boy’s life simply by being present, hopeful and consistent

Key message from Mark Brooks: if we don’t listen to boys, someone else will — and that “someone else” is already online, waiting.

About our guest
Mark Brooks OBE is chair of the Mankind Initiative and a long-standing campaigner on men’s mental health, inclusion and safety. He works nationally on issues including male suicide, domestic abuse, healthy masculinity and support for boys.

About Family Talks
Family Talks is a Care Visions series about what really helps children and young people to thrive. We speak honestly with people working on the front line of care, mental health, education and community.

If you’re worried about a boy in your care

• Stay close, stay curious, not accusatory
• Keep reminding him you’re on his side
• Help him get offline and back into real-world connection: sport, outdoors, purpose, belonging
  If you believe someone is at immediate risk of harm, seek urgent professional support.

Modern childhood is facing an unprecedented crisis — rising screen time, falling literacy, and overstimulated young minds. In this Family Talk Live event, Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood and Upstart, joined Dr Linda de Caestecker to unpack what’s really going on for children today — and how we can bring back calm, play, and connection.

Sue shared insights from decades of research into early development, explaining how rapid cultural and technological change has reshaped childhood. She traced the roots of problems such as anxiety, distraction, and poor self-regulation back to a “perfect storm” of technology, consumerism, and loss of community wisdom.

Together, Sue and Linda explored:

• Why early childhood (ages 3–7) is the critical window for social, emotional, and physical development
• How overstimulation and early academic pressure create a widening developmental — not just attainment — gap
• The essential role of play and love in fostering resilience, empathy, and confidence
• How parents and carers can “build their village” and balance technology use at home
• Practical ideas for reclaiming childhood joy in a modern world

Sue also spoke about her work with Upstart Scotland, advocating for a play-based “kindergarten stage” up to age seven, inspired by Nordic models of education. Her message was clear: to support children’s wellbeing, society must prioritise development over data — and rediscover the simple power of love and play.

In this episode of the Care Visions Professional Talk series, Humphrey Hawksley is joined by Dr Steven Carnaby, a Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist with more than 30 years’ experience supporting people with learning disabilities, autism, and special needs.

Steven discusses why it is vital to put the human at the heart of care, ensuring that individuals themselves — alongside their families and support networks — are central to decision-making about their lives. Drawing from his work across supported living, residential care, family homes, and assessment and treatment settings, Steven offers insights and practical reflections for professionals.

🎧 Whether you work in residential childcare, fostering, social work, therapy, education, or community support, this conversation will provide thought-provoking perspectives on rethinking approaches to disability and autism care.

About Dr Steven Carnaby:
Steven is registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His background spans direct support, service management, and clinical leadership — always driven by his passion for enabling high-quality, person-centred care.

Every year, thousands of children across the UK are groomed into county lines gangs, while growing numbers of school exclusions leave vulnerable teenagers without the structure and support they need.

In this episode of Care Visions Family Talk, host Lucy Johnston speaks with Baroness Anne Longfield, Chair of the Commission on Young Lives and former Children’s Commissioner for England. Together, they explore why children in care and those excluded from school are at greater risk of exploitation — and what carers, foster carers and parents can do to keep them safe.

Baroness Longfield shares practical advice on:

• Spotting the warning signs of grooming
• Understanding why exclusions can be a tipping point
• What urgent reforms are needed to protect vulnerable teenagers
• Real stories of carers who acted — and changed a child’s future

If you’re a foster carer, parent, kinship carer or professional working with young people, this is a must-listen conversation on how we can all play a part in safeguarding children.

🔔 Subscribe to Care Visions Family Talk for more discussions with leading voices in children’s welfare.

About the Host

Lucy Johnston is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster with a long-standing commitment to social affairs, health, and children’s welfare. She is currently Health and Social Affairs Editor at The Sunday Express.

About the Guest

Baroness Anne Longfield is Executive Chair and Founder of the Centre for Young Lives, and former Children’s Commissioner for England. She is a passionate advocate for children, with four decades of experience shaping policy to protect the most vulnerable.