Welcome to episode 17 of the You Can Adopt podcast, hosted by Debbie, a returning host to the podcast, talking to mother and daughter Lizzy and Lilybelle about their experience of adoption, growing up with foster carers, and maintaining contact with foster and birth families.

Debbie and her husband Dave have fostered over 200 children over the span of 30 years, after ‘falling’ into fostering when she was in a restaurant 30 years ago and saw a mum struggling with crying children at a table next to her and offered to help mind the children. Debbie discovered the woman was fostering the children and decided to give her number to the lady to pass on to social services so she could do the same thing. Having fostered children of all ages and having four birth children herself, Debbie has experience caring for children across the spectrum. Debbie has also appeared on reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex with her daughter, Lydia Bright.

Lizzy is Lillybelle’s adoptive mum. She and her husband are also mum and dad to their two other adopted children. In this episode they speak with Debbie about their adoption journey, how they prepared for Lilybelle’s adoption, and even share extracts from a book Lilybelle has written about her experience of adoption, ‘In my own words’. There is also a special guest appearance from their dog, Bronson.

Lillybelle says: “I’ve got three families in total, but it’s like one big family. I’ve got my birth family, which I still write letters to. I’ve got a foster family, which mummy’s still in contact with. And I’ve got my adoptive family, which I’m living with now. It’s nice because I don’t actually live with a massive family, so it’s not too overwhelming with so many people. But they’re still in my heart, and they’re still in my mind. I think of them lots and I’ve got loads of memories of them. It has been difficult sometimes. It’s also been emotional sometimes, but most of the time it’s been great.”

Thanks for listening!

PAC-UK is the country’s largest independent adoption support agency and works with all of those affected by adoption and other forms of permanent care to provide advice, support, specialist therapy and counselling. For more information please visit: www.PAC-UK.org or call 020 7284 5879.