Brought to you by Colby Pearce
Trauma informed practice is less about correcting behaviours of concern, and more about responding therapeutically to the reasons for them.
Colby Pearce
Clinical Psychologist
Leaving care is often framed as a simple skills problem: can you cook, budget, do laundry, get to school on time. On The Secure Start Podcast, German social worker and researcher Tanja Abou argues that this framing misses the heart of transition from out-of-home care. The real question is relational and trauma-informed: will a young…
I am really pleased to release the 50th episode of The Secure Start Podcast, and to have Professor James Anglin, a name synonymous with quality residential child care, as my guest. Professor Anglin began his career as a child and youth care worker in a mental health centre in Vancouver, after which he developed a…
Children of veterans are rarely named as a distinct group in Australia, yet the risk factors are stark: PTSD in parents, high rates of family violence, addiction, shame, and a culture that discourages help seeking. On The Secure Start Podcast, Ruth Clare describes growing up as the daughter of a traumatised Vietnam veteran, then discovering…
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”…
Rethinking Outcomes In Care Children’s social care often treats “outcomes” as whatever can be counted: placement moves, school results, budgets, compliance targets. In this Secure Start Podcast conversation, Colby Pearce and Professor Lisa Holmes push back on that narrow frame and argue for trauma-informed care that starts with care-experienced voices. When we ask children and…
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to Dr Alex Rowell on The Secure Start Podcast, on the topic of attachment informed supervision. Alex was a highly engaging and informed speaker on the topic of supervision, and I took a lot from him I hope you do too. How Supervisors Create A Secure Base For…
Why Child Protection Keeps Missing Prenatal Alcohol Brain Injury Recently, I had the privilege of speaking to William “Liam” Curran, a ‘pracademic’ with international standing in the area of prenatal alcohol-induced brain injury. It was a very important part of the jigsaw I am building with The Secure Start Podcast, where I am endeavouring to…
If A Child Breaks A Window What Are They Saying? Trauma-informed care starts with a shift in how we interpret behaviour. Instead of treating aggression, withdrawal, stealing, or rule-breaking as problems to stamp out, we can see them as communication and as an urgent attempt to secure a missing relational experience. In therapeutic communities like…
Therapeutic Life Story Work, with Professor Richard Rose 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…
The Consultant Who Changed A Community Barbara Docker-Drysdale, often called Mrs D or Pip, shaped modern therapeutic communities by focusing less on “fixing” children directly and more on building therapeutic skill in the adults around them. At the Cotswold Community she was brought in as a consultant psychotherapist to work primarily with staff teams, meeting…
Objects that teach therapeutic care Objects can be trivial, or they can be portals. In therapeutic care, they often become the latter: anchors that hold a story, a lesson, and a person. Across this conversation with much-loved veteran leader Richard Rollinson, we track how a toy fawn, a battered picture book, a chocolate egg, a…
Why do some young people exhibit this behaviour, and how to respond therapeutically What if the most effective way to reduce harmful sexual behaviour in young people isn’t tougher punishment, but deeper connection? I sat down with Alan Jenkins, renowned practitioner and author of Becoming Ethical: A Parallel Political Journey With Men Who Have Abused,…
Sri Lanka’s Care System: Progress, Gaps, And Hope 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, or a short…
Why Emotional Reactions Are Data And How Organisations Can Turn Them Into Care Psychodynamic practice often feels like stepping into a storm without a map: strong feelings, risk, chaos and the pressure to manage behaviour fast. Yet what if those feelings are not hazards to avoid but vital data? This conversation with Emma Higgs, a…
From Chaos To Calm: Routines, Relationships, And Real Change In Residential Care Quality residential care for children who have experienced trauma starts long before any therapy session. It lives in the culture of the home, the clarity of purpose, and the daily rhythm that makes life predictable enough for healing to begin. Experienced organisations describe…
What If Behaviour Is Just Armour For Hurt? Shame sits at the heart of so many behaviours we worry about, yet most systems still respond to the surface and miss the story underneath. This conversation turns a clear eye to shame as part of the attachment system, showing how fear of rejection ignites protective strategies…
Making the conscious unconscious Children rarely tell us what hurts in plain words; they show us through behaviour, play, and the rhythms of relationship. This episode explores how to meet that communication with containment, curiosity, and care. Rather than rushing to fix behaviour, we look for the meaning beneath it—what the child felt, feared, or…
What if Child Safeguarding Began with Love? 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…
Care Leaver To Care Leader I am very pleased to release the final episode of The Secure Start Podcast for 2025, with Surja – an Alumni of Udayan Care, and so much more. The heart of this conversation is simple and radical: lived experience should lead. We trace Surja’s journey from a village in Uttar…
It takes a network, not a superhero 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…
Louise Allen shares powerful insights into care leaver voice, identity, belonging and systemic reform. We discuss trauma, hope, and what genuinely improves outcomes for young people after care. Authentic, challenging and full of lived-experience wisdom.
Join John Turberville as we unpack residential childcare reform, trauma-informed leadership, the role of culture, and what truly supports children to heal and flourish in out-of-home care. Insightful, honest, and deeply relevant for carers, educators and leaders.
From Trauma to Hope I really enjoyed recording this podcast with Dr Hayley Lugassy. Here are some thoughts related to our discussion. Recovery after trauma is not a straight line; it is a careful blend of honest reflection, steady support, and practical boundaries that make change feel safe. This conversation traces a lived journey from…
What If Child Protection Started Before Harm Happened: How Eliminating Poverty Could Cut Child Abuse And Why Systems Must Change Child maltreatment leaves deep marks on individuals and communities, yet much of our response still happens after harm occurs. This conversation reframes the issue as a public health challenge and asks what it would mean…
Why Clear Primary Tasks And Brave Authority Transform Children’s Homes Clear leadership in children’s residential care starts with one deceptively simple question: what are we here for? Defining the primary task sounds easy, yet many leaders default to jargon or vague mission lines that can’t guide daily choices. When the work is complex and emotional,…
How a Reflective, Respectful Approach Helped Families Choose Healthier Relationships Child protection is often described with neat outcomes and rigid timelines, but the lived work rarely fits those lines. This episode explores a project in Portugal, Revira Volta, that set out to build healthier relationships between girls in residential care and their birth families by…
How supporting adults creates the safety children need to learn, belong, and heal Belonging sits at the heart of healing, and this conversation explores how schools can become places where children recover, learn, and feel seen—without asking teachers to be therapists. The core idea is simple: when adults in education and youth services feel supported,…
What if “care for the carers” is the real key to healing children? Richard Cross unpacks attachment, containment, and why residential care isn’t always a last resort.
“We don’t need to pit different kinds of care against each other. The real question is quality.” Professor Bruce Henderson shares compelling research showing why high-quality residential care should be an option—not a last resort—for vulnerable children.
Not Forever Homes, But Forever Impact In this insightful episode of the Secure Start podcast, host Colby Pearce engages in a profound conversation with Dr. Kevin Gallagher, a veteran practitioner with nearly 30 years of experience in UK residential care. Their discussion delves into the evolving landscape of residential care, its purpose, and how it…
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