This episode is part of our Season 6 series, Helping Your Child Understand Their Journey, where we explore practical ways to support conversations about adoption, identity and belonging.

Join host Eddie Elliott as he speaks with Sarah Naish, CEO of the Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma (COECT), about how children’s understanding of adoption shifts as they grow.

Drawing on her experience as a former social worker, adoptive parent and leader in therapeutic parenting, Sarah explores how children’s questions and emotional responses change across different life stages. From early childhood through the teenage years, she shares how parents can adapt conversations to reflect a child’s development, curiosity and sense of identity.

They discuss everyday emotional struggles at different ages, how to respond when a child doesn’t want to talk about adoption, and what signs might suggest a child needs additional support. The conversation also looks at the role of peer relationships, building confidence and self-acceptance, and approaching school-related situations such as bullying or family-based activities.

Sarah also offers guidance on supporting teenagers who begin to question their identity more deeply, and how parents can stay steady and responsive as these conversations become more complex.

This episode provides practical, experience-based insight for parents who want to keep conversations open, responsive and grounded as their child grows.

Contact We Are Family & the Adoption Shared Team:
Tweet us @WAFadoption #AdoptionShared
Tweet Eddie @Eddielliott
Email us hello@wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

Join us www.wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

We prioritise the privacy of guests and their children. All identifying information has been changed or removed. We provide guidance to all guests about how and whether details of their adoption journey and their children’s stories are shared.

This episode is part of our Season 6 series, Helping Your Child Understand Their Journey, where we explore practical ways to support conversations about adoption, identity and belonging.

Join host Eddie Elliott as he speaks with Toni about one of the questions adoptive parents often wrestle with: when do we start talking about adoption, and what do we actually say?

Toni shares practical insight on how to make these conversations part of everyday family life rather than a single, high-pressure “big talk”. She discusses how children’s curiosity can ebb and flow, how to respond to tricky questions about birth families, and what to do if your child doesn’t seem interested in their story at all.

They also explore the language that helps children feel secure, the common pitfalls parents can fall into, and how to prepare yourself emotionally so you can stay steady when difficult feelings arise.

This episode offers thoughtful, practical guidance for parents who want to build honest, ongoing conversations that help their child understand their adoption story with confidence.

Adoption Shared is a podcast brought to you by We Are Family. We believe every adoptive family deserves community. If you’d like to support our work, a donation helps us continue providing services and peer support across the UK. Find out more at wearefamilyadoption.org.uk/donate.

Contact We Are Family & the Adoption Shared Team:
Tweet us @WAFadoption #AdoptionShared
Tweet Eddie @Eddielliott
Email us hello@wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

Join us www.wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

We prioritise the privacy of guests and their children. All identifying information has been changed or removed. We provide guidance to all guests about how and whether details of their adoption journey and their children’s stories are shared.

This episode is part of our Season 6 series, Helping Your Child Understand Their Journey, focusing on practical conversations about adoption, identity and belonging.

Join host Eddie Elliott as he speaks with Skye Curtis-Guilhen, a dual-heritage adopter to two children and project lead at Yorkshire Adoption Agency, where she focuses on community engagement and supporting adopters from global majority backgrounds. Skye also delivers training, including life story work, and works as a social researcher and inclusive practice consultant specialising in equity-based trauma-informed practice.

Eddie and Skye explore how birth families sit within a child’s sense of self, whether there is contact or not. They discuss how children’s questions can shift over time, what to say when curiosity grows, and how to respond when information is limited or difficult to explain. Skye shares ways parents can support children through loyalty conflicts, grief or confusion, and how to acknowledge heritage and history through meaningful conversations.

They also talk about managing your own emotions so you can stay open when these discussions arise.

This episode offers practical guidance for parents who want to support their child’s questions about where they come from while strengthening belonging at home.

Contact We Are Family & the Adoption Shared Team:
Tweet us @WAFadoption #AdoptionShared
Tweet Eddie @Eddielliott
Email us hello@wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

Join us www.wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

We prioritise the privacy of guests and their children. All identifying information has been changed or removed. We provide guidance to all guests about how and whether details of their adoption journey and their children’s stories are shared.