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Care Visions Talks

Care Visions Talks

By: Care Visions
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Care Visions Talks

Care Visions Talks is a podcast series that brings together voices from across care, education, health and community support to explore what it really means to care — and to be cared for.

The series includes two strands:


Care Visions Family Talk has two hosts: Dr Linda de Caestecker and Lucy Johnston.


Dr Linda de Caestecker, former Director of Public Health and experienced paediatrician, leads warm, accessible conversations designed for parents, carers and families. Her episodes cover topics such as childhood trauma, fostering, resilience, separation and mental health, with expert guests offering practical guidance and compassionate insight.


Lucy Johnston is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster with a long-standing commitment to social affairs, health, and children’s welfare. In her episodes, she shares powerful stories about young people in care and explores the systems that shape their lives. With a background in investigative reporting, Lucy began her career at The Big Issue before moving to The Observer and later The Sunday Express, where she is Health and Social Affairs Editor. Her work has exposed neglect in care homes, failures in mental health services, and injustices faced by vulnerable children and families.


Care Visions Professional Talk is hosted by Humphrey Hawksley, award-winning author, broadcaster and former BBC foreign correspondent. These in-depth episodes are created for those working in or studying social care, health, education and related fields. Guests include thought leaders, researchers and practitioners discussing the emotional realities, challenges and evolving practices in work with children, young people and families.


Whether you're a parent, a professional, or someone passionate about care and community, Care Visions Talks offers space to listen, reflect and learn.

© 2026 Care Visions Talks Parenting & Families Relationships
Episodes
  • What Happens If Children Stop Believing They Belong? | Steve Chalke | Care Visions Professional Talk

    What Happens If Children Stop Believing They Belong? | Steve Chalke | Care Visions Professional Talk
    Jun 17 2026

    For more than four decades, Steve Chalke has been working to improve the lives of vulnerable children, young people and families across the UK.

    As founder of Oasis, Steve has helped establish schools, housing projects, youth services and community initiatives in some of Britain's most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. His work has consistently focused on one central belief: people flourish when they belong.

    In this episode of Care Visions Professional Talk, Humphrey Hawksley sits down with Steve to explore why so many children continue to fall through the cracks despite significant investment in services, programmes and interventions.

    Steve argues that while funding is important, meaningful change happens when local communities are empowered, trusted and supported to create solutions themselves. He discusses the growing challenges facing children today, including poverty, school exclusion, criminal exploitation, gang involvement and social isolation.

    A central part of the discussion is the story of "Billy", a young person whose experience of loss, loneliness and grooming illustrates how vulnerable children can become trapped in cycles of exploitation and offending. Steve explains why many young people involved in crime are not simply offenders, but children who have never experienced the safety, belonging and support they need.

    The conversation also explores:

    • Why child poverty and inequality continue to grow in the UK
    • The role of community in preventing exploitation and youth violence
    • How organised crime targets vulnerable young people
    • Why belonging is a protective factor for children
    • The limitations of traditional funding and intervention models
    • Supporting grassroots organisations and community-led change
    • Therapeutic approaches to youth justice and rehabilitation
    • Why young people often need a first chance rather than a second chance
    • The importance of trust, relationships and long-term support
    • New approaches to children's homes, supported housing and education
    • How hope can become practical action rather than empty optimism

    Later in the episode, Danny Henderson from Care Visions joins the discussion to reflect on therapeutic care, residential childcare and how trusting relationships help young people recover from adversity.

    This conversation offers valuable insights for social workers, residential childcare practitioners, foster carers, teachers, youth workers, policy makers and anyone interested in creating better outcomes for children and young people.

    As Steve says, there is no "A-Team" coming to solve these challenges for us. Change happens when communities, organisations and individuals work together to create places where children can belong, feel safe and build hope for the future.

    Guest: Steve Chalke
    Host: Humphrey Hawksley
    Featuring: Danny Henderson

    To learn more about Steve Chalke and Oasis, visit:
    Oasis UK

    Care Visions Talks is a UK podcast sharing conversations on parenting, fostering, care experience and supporting families.

    Explore all episodes and resources:
    https://carevisionsfostering.co.uk/care-visions-family-talk

    Listen and follow:

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/care-visions-talks/id1819875561

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cG6jiszfjSBvyLsFjfpre

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CareVisionsTalks

    Follow on social media:

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/carevisionstalks

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareVisionsTalks

    Join our mailing list for new episodes, events and updates:
    https://carevisionsfostering.co.uk/care-visions-family-talk

    Subscribe to stay connected with Care Visions Talks.
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • How Love Literally Shapes a Child's Brain | Dr Anna Machin | Family Talk

    How Love Literally Shapes a Child's Brain | Dr Anna Machin | Family Talk
    Jun 3 2026
    How love literally shapes a child's brain.What if the most powerful influence on a child's future isn't education, money, technology or even genetics, but the quality of the relationships they experience?In this episode of Care Visions Family Talk, host Lucy Johnston is joined by evolutionary anthropologist, author and relationship expert Dr Anna Machin to explore the science of love, attachment and human connection.Drawing on decades of research into relationships, attachment theory, neuroscience and human behaviour, Dr Machin explains why love is far more than an emotion. It is a biological need that plays a vital role in shaping brain development, emotional wellbeing, resilience, physical health and even longevity.Together, Lucy and Anna explore how early relationships influence the developing brain, why secure attachment matters so much, and how loving, consistent care can help children recover from adversity and trauma.The conversation is particularly relevant for foster carers, adoptive parents, kinship carers, residential childcare practitioners, teachers, social workers and anyone supporting children and young people who may have experienced disrupted attachments or early life challenges.Topics covered include:• What happens inside the brain when we form attachments• The role of oxytocin, dopamine and other bonding chemicals• Why relationships are linked to better physical and mental health• How secure attachment develops in childhood• The impact of neglect, trauma and disrupted early relationships• Whether children can recover from difficult starts in life• How foster carers can build strong and lasting bonds with children• Why biology is not the determining factor in attachment• The importance of consistency, presence and emotional availability• How children's brains remain adaptable and capable of change• Why some children reject care or push adults away• Understanding attachment styles and relationship patterns• The role of fathers and father figures in child development• The science behind resilience and emotional security• How technology and social media may be affecting human connection• Why one caring adult can make a life-changing differenceThroughout the discussion, Dr Machin challenges many common assumptions about parenting, attachment and relationships. She explains that children are biologically designed to form attachments with caring adults and that meaningful, secure relationships can develop regardless of biological connection.For foster carers and adoptive parents, this offers an important and hopeful message. The science suggests that loving, consistent, emotionally attuned relationships can help reshape a child's experience of the world and support healthy brain development, even after significant adversity.The episode also explores how attachment is built through everyday interactions. Not through grand gestures, but through presence, responsiveness, empathy, shared experiences and emotional availability. Dr Machin explains how seemingly small moments of connection can have profound effects on a child's developing brain and long-term wellbeing.Lucy and Anna also discuss the growing challenges facing children and families today, including social media, digital technology and increasing concerns around loneliness and disconnection. They examine what children truly need in order to thrive and why human relationships remain one of the most powerful protective factors in a child's life.Whether you're a parent navigating the challenges of family life, a foster carer supporting a child who has experienced trauma, a professional working with children and families, or simply someone interested in the science of human connection, this episode offers fascinating insights and practical reassurance.At its heart, this conversation is about hope.It is a reminder that relationships matter, that connection changes lives, and that the simple act of consistently showing up for a child can have a lasting impact on their future.About Dr Anna MachinDr Anna Machin is an evolutionary anthropologist, author and broadcaster whose research focuses on human relationships, attachment, love and fatherhood. Her work combines neuroscience, psychology, anthropology and evolutionary biology to better understand how relationships shape our lives. She is the author of several books, including Why We Love and The Life of Dad, and is widely recognised as one of the UK's leading experts on human bonding and attachment.Keywords: attachment theory, child development, foster care, fostering, foster carers, parenting, relationships, love, attachment, childhood trauma, brain development, neuroscience, adoptive parenting, kinship care, therapeutic parenting, resilience, emotional wellbeing, child psychology, fatherhood, family relationships, secure attachment, trauma-informed care, social work, children's mental health, Care Visions Family Talk.Care Visions Talks is a UK podcast ...
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    52 mins
  • Family Courts, Domestic Abuse & Protecting Children | Julia Margo

    Family Courts, Domestic Abuse & Protecting Children | Julia Margo
    May 20 2026

    What happens when a parent trying to protect their children enters a family court system that doesn’t always recognise abuse?

    In this episode of Care Visions Professional Talk, Humphrey Hawksley speaks with Julia Margo, co-founder of Fair Hearing, about domestic abuse, coercive control, safeguarding and the realities of navigating the family justice system.

    Julia shares her personal experience of discovering her former partner was a convicted child sex offender and the eight-year legal battle that followed while trying to protect her children.

    The conversation explores:

    • domestic abuse and coercive control
    • child protection and safeguarding
    • parental alienation allegations
    • trauma-informed justice
    • family court reform
    • resilience and recovery
    • supporting victims through legal systems

    Julia now works with survivors and legal professionals through Fair Hearing, helping improve understanding of victim experiences within the judiciary and wider justice system.

    Hosted by Humphrey Hawksley for Care Visions Professional Talk.

    Care Visions Talks is a UK podcast sharing conversations on parenting, fostering, care experience and supporting families.

    Explore all episodes and resources:
    https://carevisionsfostering.co.uk/care-visions-family-talk

    Listen and follow:

    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/care-visions-talks/id1819875561

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cG6jiszfjSBvyLsFjfpre

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CareVisionsTalks

    Follow on social media:

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/carevisionstalks

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareVisionsTalks

    Join our mailing list for new episodes, events and updates:
    https://carevisionsfostering.co.uk/care-visions-family-talk

    Subscribe to stay connected with Care Visions Talks.
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
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