Welcome to episode 23 of the You Can Adopt podcast.

Debbie Bright, mum of four, has fostered over 200 children over the last 30 years. She has looked after children of all ages, with a variety of needs, and for variable periods of time. Her and her husband, Dave, did this while raising their birth children Lydia, Georgia, Romana and Freddie.

Lydia Bright, TV personality, influencer, author and mother, was two years old when her parents began fostering. From then, she has had many siblings come into her life, but has never known any different.

In this episode, mum and daughter Debbie and Lydia explore what it is like to bring an adopted and/or fostered child into a family with birth children. There are understandably a lot of questions prospective adopters will have when considering welcoming a new family member, many of which may revolve around what impact it may have on their birth children.

By shining a light on their experiences, it aims to encourage parents with birth children to consider adoption, by showing a balanced picture of what it is like to grow your family through adoption, and the benefits it can bring to the whole family.

If you are considering adopting a child, the adopted child must be at least two years younger than your youngest birth child at the time of adoption.