Voice of the Child Podcasts

In this video podcast, Moses Farrow, the adopted son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, talks with child rights journalist Natasha Phillips about his childhood, how adoption has impacted his life including an attempted suicide, and why he believes the current practice is a form of human trafficking. The interview is part of the new “Dark Side of Adoption” podcast series, looking at the almost never-discussed effects of adoption on children. The video version of the interview can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5rkiOwhkf0

In this Voice of the Child (VOTC) podcast, adoption activist Paul Brian Tovey talks about star footballer Dele Alli’s adoption claims, his complaint to the BBC for their reporting of the story, and his conversation on X with Radio 5 journalist and adoptee Nicky Campbell, whose programme about Dele and adoption caused a stir among adult adoptees on social media.  Paul also talks about “reunion p*rn”, why many adoptees dislike the rescue narrative found in adoption, and his own campaign helping adoptees abused in childhood to heal.  Speaking to VOTC, Paul said, “My worry about the media is that they’re mirroring the self repression that has been wished upon some adoptees. The adoptees that want to speak out who’ve had wonderful lives they’re just going to come out with it, but the ones that have a lot of pain - pain is very difficult to talk about.”  “We need to get our heads together in some ways that satisfy each other, so that we can get to some more of the information about the negative sides of adoption. Everyone else in life has the human right to walk away from a relationship that hasn’t been very good, and adoptees don’t. There’s something wrong there.”

Welcome to the Best Interests of the Child Review, the first parent-led review of children's social care in England and Wales. In our first podcast the team at BIC introduce themselves, and talk about why they decided to launch the review. They also explain what their first publication "Children and Their Families Have Rights" is about.

What happens when a domestically abusive parent asks for contact with their child following a separation or divorce in the family courts? And is the family court in its current form the best place to process child contact requests in cases where there are allegations of domestic abuse, or cases where one parent has already been convicted of at least one violent offence? The Voice of the Child speaks with campaigners Sammy Woodhouse and Victoria Hudson about a new campaign they've launched, which proposes some radical changes to the family justice system in England and Wales, and why forcing children to have contact with domestically abusive or violent partners is often harmful to them.

A young girl has lodged a case with the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) detailing the relentless corporal punishment and abuse she experienced at her school in Sri Lanka, when she was just 11 years old. The case, believed to be the first of its kind, has been accepted by the top UN body, and asks the court to protect all children in Sri Lanka from corporal punishment, and to put an end to conflicting legislation inside the country which has created a loophole allowing child assaults. Speaking to the Voice of the Child from London, Adriana Wickramanayaka Cutter, who is now 14, talked about the violence she experienced at an international school in Sri Lanka and how it led to a trauma diagnosis. Like many children at school in Sri Lanka, Adriana was subjected to repeated blows to the head, painful bouts of ear pulling and demands to kneel before male teachers in front of the class, as forms of discipline. Her brother Alex Wickramanayaka Cutter, 18, spoke about how his sister's treatment affected him, and what happened to him at school after his parents complained. Adriana and Alex's mother Dr Thushara Wickramanayaka -- who is the daughter of former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, and the founder of the Stop Child Cruelty Trust -- joined the call from Sri Lanka to explain how the law suit came about, and why it is needed to put at end to a culture of child assault inside the country.

In 2014, Alison O'Reilly broke a story about a mother and children's home in Tuam, Ireland, which had stored the remains of 796 children, in a septic tank.  The home had been operational from 1925 to 1961, and was part of a wider policy to 're-home' children born to unmarried mothers, who were considered by the state to be unable to care for their children. The story was reported on around the world.  Six years later, on July 27th, another report involving more than 1,000 children who had died, this time at Sean Ross Abbey, was published.  Alison talks to the Voice of the Child about the growing number of children who died in these homes, and how she came to break the story about the Tuam baby deaths. We also discuss whether the mass deaths could be classified as genocide, as more information emerges about how the children died. She also outlines what she thinks of the UK's care system today, why adoption and foster care policies need to change, and why she feels the voice of the child is still not at the forefront of social work.

What happens to a child when one or both of their parents go to prison, and what is life like for a child with a parent in jail? Sarah Burrows, founder of award winning charity Children Heard and Seen, explains. The transcript for this podcast can be found at: https://researchingreform.net/2020/07/16/children-with-parents-in-prison-diagnosed-with-ptsd-voice-of-the-child-podcast/

There are currently over 800 children in prison in the UK, with at least half coming through the care system. While incidents of physical restraint and self harm in detention centres have risen dramatically, the number of black children and children from other ethnic minorities continue to be disproportionately represented inside prison settings. Award winning charity Safe Ground, talks about life in prison for children, why the new lockdown rules in prison amount to child abuse for children on the inside, and how a brave group of boys are disrupting the sector to make things better. The transcript for this podcast can be found at: https://researchingreform.net/2020/07/09/if-a-family-did-that-to-a-child-the-child-would-be-removed-from-them-voice-of-the-child-podcast/

Dr Thomas Waterfield talks about a new nationwide study with Public Health England, looking at how COVID-19 affects children. Dr Waterfield also explains what we know now about the virus within a paediatric context, and some surprising new findings. He also reveals details about new research which has just been submitted to medical journal The Lancet, looking at COVID-19 "attack rates" in children, and what he would like his next study on children and the novel Coronavirus to focus on. The transcript for this podcast can be found at:https://researchingreform.net/2020/06/24/covid-19-and-children-what-we-know-so-far-voice-of-the-child-podcast/

Actor and youth ambassador Chris Wild talks about his experience of the care system in the UK and the experiences of his friends who were also in care at the same time. Chris reveals new details about his book "Damaged", and his latest project with BBC Newsnight, which looks at what life has been like for children inside Britain's care homes during the Coronavirus outbreak. The transcript for this podcast can be found at: https://researchingreform.net/2020/06/19/it-was-like-a-dream-but-then-it-became-a-nightmare-because-i-found-out-most-of-it-was-real-voice-of-the-child-podcast/

In this podcast we speak with Professor Joan Meier about the first ever nationwide study in the US on child custody cases which feature allegations of abuse, domestic violence and parental alienation. The study, led by Professor Meier, features controversial findings which suggest cultural and gender norms inside the US family courts are placing children at risk of harm. The transcript for this podcast can be found at: https://researchingreform.net/2020/05/29/parents-who-make-allegations-of-abuse-in-child-contact-cases-voice-of-the-child-podcast/

In this podcast, the Voice of the Child talks to Taliah Drayak, a mother who was accused and then later cleared of poisoning her child, and Tracey Norton, who supports women who have been accused of child medical abuse.

In this podcast we talk with Emeritus Social Work Professor Andy Bilson about Britain's broken child protection practices, why a toxic "rescue mentality" has led to the oppression of vulnerable children and families and how a new network co-founded by Professor Bilson plans to turn child protection on its head and ensure families' rights are protected.

The Coronavirus outbreak has led to the UK government ordering the closure of a large number of courts, including family courts, and replacing physical hearings with remote, or virtual ones. In this podcast we look at how those hearings really work, the human rights concerns they raise and why the guidance on offer isn't enough.

In the last episode for this series, Paula finds a way to challenge an interim care order and get her baby back, but will she manage to bypass the tactics inside the system and win her fight?

Thank you to the NHS and all key workers helping to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

Based on real-life cases, these fictionalised stories offer a glimpse into the UK's child protection system. In the first episode of "Practice Makes Profit", a woman has her baby taken from her as soon he is born, and tries to find out on what grounds social services have removed her newborn from her care.

Independent researcher, Laura Baxter talks to the Voice of the Child about her research on children's experiences of contact with their birth parents during the COVID-19 outbreak. The research is the first of its kind in the UK.

Chair of the Family Law Bar Association Cyrus Larizadeh discusses the new measures Britain's family courts have put into place to safeguard families and professionals during the lockdown.

In this episode, the Voice of the Child looks at how the UK Family Courts' handling of the Coronavirus outbreak has affected child contact for families in child protection cases.