
Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Total monthly reach
Estimated from 2 chart positions in 2 markets.
By chart position
- 🇬🇧GB · How To#1855K to 30K
- 🇵🇹PT · How To#104500 to 3K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
2.8K to 17K🎙 ~2x weekly·47 episodes·Last published 1w ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
5.5K to 33K🇬🇧91%🇵🇹9% - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
2.2K to 13K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
—
Total Plays
—
Total Reviews
—
* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
Recent episodes
#52: Small Moments Build Safety And Hope, with Mary-anne Hodd
Jun 13, 2026
1h 13m 12s
#51: Leaving Care In Germany And Why Support Drops Away, with Tanja Abou
May 31, 2026
1h 32m 13s
Good Residential Child Care Starts With Understanding Pain, with Professor James Anglin
May 17, 2026
1h 29m 11s
#49: Who Counts As A Trauma Survivor When No One Sees You, with Ruth Clare
May 11, 2026
1h 26m 55s
#48: Making The Unbearable Bearable In Trauma-Informed Care, with Dr Laura Steckley
May 1, 2026
1h 17m 26s
Social Links & Contact
Official channels & resources
Official Website
Login
RSS Feed
Login
| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/13/26 | ![]() #52: Small Moments Build Safety And Hope, with Mary-anne Hodd | Send us Fan Mail A child can walk into a house with a full fridge and a clean bed and still feel terrified. That’s the gap we’re trying to close, and it’s why this conversation matters. I’m joined by Mary-anne Hodd, founder of Journeys That Care, a CPD accredited training and consultancy that blends lived experience with psychology, teaching, and therapeutic practice. Mary-anne grew up in the care system and now supports the adults around care experienced children across fostering, residenti... | 1h 13m 12s | ||||||
| 5/31/26 | ![]() #51: Leaving Care In Germany And Why Support Drops Away, with Tanja Abou | Send us Fan Mail Turning 16 should not feel like a countdown to being on your own. Turning 18 should not require a letter proving you deserve a roof over your head. I sit down with German social worker, researcher, and care leaver Tanja Abu to unpack how leaving care really works in Germany and why the systems designed to build “independence” can end up creating pressure, instability, and loneliness instead. We talk about what makes Germany distinct, including the fact that residential care ... | 1h 32m 13s | ||||||
| 5/17/26 | ![]() Good Residential Child Care Starts With Understanding Pain, with Professor James Anglin | Send us Fan Mail “Problem behaviour” is a label that can make adults defensive, punitive and quick to control. We wanted to slow that down and ask a different question: what if the behaviour is pain, showing itself the only way it knows how? For the 50th Secure Start Podcast conversation, I am joined by Professor James Anglin, one of the world’s most influential voices in children’s residential care and therapeutic group home practice. We talk through Professor Anglin’s journey from ph... | 1h 29m 11s | ||||||
| 5/11/26 | ![]() #49: Who Counts As A Trauma Survivor When No One Sees You, with Ruth Clare | Send us Fan Mail Some children live through severe developmental trauma in plain sight, then grow up to find they are missing from the research, the services, and the stories we tell about “who trauma happens to”. I sit down with Ruth Clare, author, TEDx speaker, and intergenerational trauma educator, to talk about what it means to grow up as the child of a traumatised Vietnam veteran in a home shaped by family violence and addiction, and why children of veterans are still treated like a foot... | 1h 26m 55s | ||||||
| 5/1/26 | ![]() #48: Making The Unbearable Bearable In Trauma-Informed Care, with Dr Laura Steckley | Send us Fan Mail When people are overwhelmed, they don’t need a lecture. They need someone who can help them think again. That’s the heart of our conversation with Dr Laura Steckley, a leading researcher in therapeutic residential childcare, as we tackle one of the most misunderstood ideas in trauma-informed practice: containment. We start by naming the problem. “Containment” often gets misused to mean restriction, restraint, or simply keeping behaviour quiet. Laura and I unpack the psychody... | 1h 17m 26s | ||||||
| 4/26/26 | ![]() #47: What Children In Care Say Matters Most - Lisa Holmes | Send us Fan Mail We love neat metrics in children’s social care because they fit on dashboards: placement stability, school attainment, cost per child. But when you sit down with people who’ve actually lived the care system, the story gets messier and far more human. Colby Pearce is joined Professor Dr Lisa Holmes, one of the world’s leading researchers in residential childcare, to ask a simple question with huge consequences: what outcomes are truly meaningful for children in out-of-home car... | 1h 12m 19s | ||||||
| 4/20/26 | ![]() #46: Attachment In Supervision, with Dr Alex Rowell | Send us Fan Mail Supervision can look calm on the outside while a whole attachment system is firing underneath. When a supervisee is worried about risk, second-guessing an intervention, or feeling judged, the supervision room stops being a “case review” and becomes a relationship shaped by safety, power, and emotion. That’s where attachment theory becomes more than an idea, it becomes a practical lens for clinical supervision. We sit down with Dr Alex Rowell, clinical psychologist, educator,... | 1h 05m 27s | ||||||
| 4/12/26 | ![]() #45: What If “Bad Behaviour” Is A Disability We Refuse To See, with William "Liam" Curran | Send us Fan Mail Kids don’t “choose” impulsivity, shutdowns, school blow-ups or constant conflict at home, yet child protection and education systems still treat many of these behaviours like attitude problems. We sit down with William “Liam” Curran, a clinical social worker and international FASD educator, to unpack what fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) really looks like on the ground, especially the hidden presentation NDPAE (Neurodevelopmental Disorder Associated With Prenatal Alcoho... | 1h 18m 13s | ||||||
| 3/30/26 | ![]() #44: I am seen, so I am*, with Paul van Heeswijk | Send us Fan Mail A child breaks a window and the adults don’t rush to punishment. They sit with him, gather as a team, and ask a harder question: what have we been missing in his communication? That single moment opens up a deeper way to understand trauma, behaviour, and what “care” actually looks like when it’s done well. We’re joined by Paul Van Heeswijk, a highly experienced child psychotherapist and former consultant to the Cotswold Community. Paul shares the stories that shaped hi... | 1h 21m 21s | ||||||
| 3/21/26 | ![]() #43: Whose Truth Becomes A Child’s Story? Therapeutic Life Story Work, With Professor Richard Rose | Send us Fan Mail Kids in care don’t just wonder where they lived. They wonder why it happened and far too often they land on the most painful answer: it must have been my fault. I’m joined by Professor Richard Rose, founder of Therapeutic Life Story Work International, to talk about how trauma-informed storytelling can turn confusion, shame and “unknowns” into a narrative a child can actually live with. We unpack what makes Therapeutic Life Story Work different from a traditional life story ... | 1h 19m 30s | ||||||
Want analysis for the episodes below?Free for Pro Submit a request, we'll have your selected episodes analyzed within an hour. Free, at no cost to you, for Pro users. | |||||||||
| 3/15/26 | ![]() #42: How Barbara Docker-Drysdale Built Therapeutic Skill In Care Teams - John Whitwell | Send us Fan Mail A child’s acting out can look like defiance, chaos, or “bad behaviour” until you treat it as communication and ask what the adults are missing. That single shift changes everything, and it sits at the heart of my conversation with John Whitwell as we revisit the work and legacy of Barbara Docker-Drysdale, better known to many as Mrs D. John explains why her influence on therapeutic communities wasn’t just theory, it was the weekly discipline of helping staff teams think clear... | 1h 04m 30s | ||||||
| 3/1/26 | ![]() #41: From Bambi To Boundaries: What Objects Reveal About Mind, Body, And Meaning, with Richard Rollinson | Send us Fan Mail A toy fawn, a wordless picture book, a skull on a desk—what can these objects teach us about caring for children who’ve known chaos, loss, and confusion? We welcome back Richard Rawlinson, former director of the Mulberry Bush and long-time consultant in therapeutic childcare, to explore how everyday items become portals to insight, empathy, and better practice. Richard traces a personal collection—gifts from children, reminders of moments, and metaphors with staying power. B... | 1h 14m 55s | ||||||
| 2/22/26 | ![]() #40: Rethinking Harmful Sexual Behaviour In Kids, with Alan Jenkins | Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest driver of harmful sexual behaviour in children isn’t deviance in the child, but disconnection in the systems around them? We sit down with Alan Jenkins—veteran practitioner, author of Becoming Ethical, and pioneer of “multi undisciplinary” teams—to rethink how shame, belonging, and power shape what children do and how adults respond. Across vivid stories from schools and services, Alan shows how our default reactions—suspensions, isolation, forensic label... | 1h 18m 43s | ||||||
| 2/14/26 | ![]() #39: Sri Lanka’s Care System: Progress, Gaps, And Hope - Nimali Kumari | Send us Fan Mail What if turning 18 didn’t mean turning off support? We sit down with Nimmu, a powerhouse care leaver advocate from Sri Lanka, to map what’s changing, what still hurts, and how to build a system that puts children where they thrive—whether that’s family, kinship, adoption, or residential care. With warmth and precision, Nimmu explains Sri Lanka’s current landscape: most children live in Child Development Centres, foster care is in development, and adoption and kinship care rem... | 56m 31s | ||||||
| 2/7/26 | ![]() #38: Why Emotional Reactions Are Data And How Organisations Can Turn Them Into Care, with Emma Higgs | Send us Fan Mail What if the feelings that make this work so hard are the very clues that make it effective? We sit down with Emma Higgs, a child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapist and organisational therapist, to unpack how psychodynamic thinking turns raw emotion into reliable information—and how organisations can harness it to protect staff and truly help distressed children and families. Emma traces her journey from a turbulent, formative therapeutic community to co-leading AP... | 1h 29m 34s | ||||||
| 1/31/26 | ![]() #37: From Chaos To Calm: Routines, Relationships, And Real Change In Residential Care, Tom Ellison | Send us Fan Mail What if the most powerful “intervention” in residential care isn’t a therapy model at all, but the quiet predictability of daily life held by thoughtful adults? We sit down with social care consultant Tom Ellison to dig into what actually moves the dial for children who’ve lived through adversity: simple, stable routines, a clear primary task, and relationships that feel parental, enriched, and safe. Across a candid, story-rich conversation, we challenge the idea that progre... | 1h 31m 43s | ||||||
| 1/25/26 | ![]() #36: What If Behaviour Is Just Armour For Hurt? Vicki McKeown | Send us Fan Mail What if the behaviour that drives you up the wall is actually armour against shame? We sit down with psychotherapist and author Vicky McKeown to unpack how shame and attachment shape everyday life for children, parents, and the professionals who support them. From adoption and fostering to classrooms and case reports, we trace the subtle ways shame shows up and how a shift in language and stance can transform outcomes. Vicky shares her journey from criminology to trauma ther... | 1h 00m 30s | ||||||
| 1/18/26 | ![]() #34: Making the conscious unconscious, with Peter Blake | Send us Fan Mail I am very excited to release my conversation with Peter Blake on The Secure Start Podcast. We explore how children communicate through behaviour and play, why containment matters, and how to balance understanding with practical management. We share tools to notice meaning, time conversations well, and use a child’s passions to build safety, trust, and growth. • why being relaxed and steady allows containment • inner and outer worlds shaping behaviour • OTT method... | 1h 27m 07s | ||||||
| 1/11/26 | ![]() #35: What If Children's Safeguarding Began With Love? Carla Keyte | Send us Fan Mail What if the most powerful safeguarding tool isn’t another form, but a steady adult who shows up with love? That’s the heart of my conversation with Carla Keyte, founder of Lighthouse and a leading voice in UK residential care, as we unpack how safe, stable, loving homes are built—and measured—through relationships, not fear. We explore how love-led practice, not fear-based compliance, creates safe, stable, loving homes in residential care. We trace the sector’s language shif... | 57m 27s | ||||||
| 12/31/25 | ![]() Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Care - A Recap of 2025 on The Secure Start Podcast | Send us Fan Mail This is a recap of the first 33 episodes of The Secure Start Podcast, all released in 2025. It has been an incredible honour to host them and I am looking forward to 2026! If you take something inspirational from the video, please consider liking and subscribing to this channel and related platforms. Links: Podcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/ Podcast site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.buzzsprout.com Secure Start Site: https://securestart.com.au/ Pl... | 13m 50s | ||||||
| 12/24/25 | ![]() #33 Care Leavers To Care Leaders - with Surja (Udayan Care Alumni) | Send us Fan Mail What happens when belief meets opportunity and doesn’t let go? We sit down with Surja—care‑experienced leader, LIFT alum, and global advocate—to trace a path from a village in Uttar Pradesh to a seat at international tables, and to unpack what real aftercare looks like when lived experience leads. With Dr Kiran Modi offering context on Udayan Care’s model, we explore how mentoring, peer networks, and co‑creation turn care leavers into care leaders. Across the conversation, w... | 1h 04m 41s | ||||||
| 12/14/25 | ![]() #32 It Takes A Network, Not A Superhero - with Robbie Gilligan | Send us Fan Mail What if lasting change for young people in care comes not from a single attachment, but from a web of “many good adults” who open doors to the wider world? We sit down with Emeritus Professor Robbie Gilligan to trace how schools, mentors, hobbies, and work links create belonging that survives the transition out of care. Drawing on four decades of research and vivid stories—from a nun buying Sinead O’Connor’s first guitar to a baker mentoring a teen before dawn—we map an outwa... | 1h 06m 38s | ||||||
| 12/3/25 | ![]() #31 Truth First: Caring Beyond The System, with Louise Allen | Send us Fan Mail Some conversations burn slowly and then glow for days. Sitting down with Louise Allen, we trace a line from a childhood rewritten by others to a life spent restoring names, dignity, and futures. Louise grew up in care, became a long‑term foster carer, and now writes bestsellers that refuse to look away. She talks candidly about forced adoption, the quiet children who go unseen, and the neighbour who saved her by offering what the system couldn’t: warmth without conditions and... | 1h 14m 59s | ||||||
| 12/1/25 | ![]() #30 - John Turberville: How The Mulberry Bush Helps Children Relearn Trust Through Relationships | Send us Fan Mail In this in-depth conversation with John Turberville, CEO of The Mulberry Bush, we explore how therapeutic residential care transforms the lives of children who have experienced trauma, relational ruptures, & multiple placement breakdowns. John reflects on the organisation’s 75-year legacy, the central role of relationships, family work, trust, innovation, & reflective practice, & why high-quality residential care must be seen as a placement of choice—not a last re... | 1h 21m 45s | ||||||
| 11/9/25 | ![]() #29 From Trauma To Hope, with Dr Hayley Lugassy | Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to heal after trauma—and how do we help children do the same without causing more harm? I sit down with Dr Haley Lugassy, a senior educational psychologist whose lived journey from teenage trauma and isolation in Spain to rebuilding life and career in England reframes what recovery looks like. Her story is anchored by the power of one good adult, the steady fuel of hope, and the life‑changing mix of compassion and boundaries. Haley speaks openly abou... | 1h 05m 41s | ||||||
Showing 25 of 54
Pitch Fit is a Pro feature
See how bookable this show is for guests, which brands already advertise, the per-episode ad value, and the best-fit guest and sponsor profile. The numbers are blurred on the free plan.
How readily this show books outside guests like you.
How proven this show is for host-read sponsorships.
For Guests
ProFor Advertisers
ProUpgrade to Pro to unlock guest cadence, sponsor categories, fit scores, and per-episode ad value for this show.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.

























