A Child Protection Podcast Exploring Trauma-Informed Practice, Residential Care, and the Future of Out-of-Home Care
The Secure Start Podcast is a weekly child protection and trauma-informed care podcast dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people who have experienced adversity, separation, and out-of-home care. Each episode brings together respected voices from residential care, child welfare, psychology, social work, and youth development to explore the ideas, practice frameworks, and leadership approaches that make a meaningful difference.
Hosted by Colby Pearce, clinical psychologist and author, the podcast takes a practical, reflective, and deeply relational look at the systems that support vulnerable children — and the people who care for them. Whether you work in residential children’s homes, foster care, kinship care, therapeutic programs, social work, youth justice, education, or policy, The Secure Start Podcast offers insights that strengthen practice, build hope, and deepen understanding.
Our Purpose
Children and young people deserve care environments that are safe, nurturing, predictable and built on authentic human connection. But the work of caring for them — especially in residential and out-of-home care settings — is demanding, complex, and often under-acknowledged.
This podcast was created to:
- Shine a light on best practice in child protection and residential care
- Explore trauma-informed and attachment-informed approaches
- Amplify expert voices, frontline experience, and reform initiatives
- Support leaders and carers to build healthy, purposeful care environments
- Bridge research and everyday practice in accessible, conversational episodes
What You’ll Hear On the Podcast
Across interviews and solo episodes, you’ll find conversations on topics including:
- Trauma-informed residential care
- Healing-centred practice and therapeutic communities
- Child and youth development
- Attachment-based practice
- Leadership in out-of-home care
- Foster care and kinship care support
- Reunification, restoration, and system reform
- Workforce wellbeing and reflective practice
- Education, behaviour, and relational safety
- International models and innovations in residential care
Each episode is grounded in real-world practice, paired with the latest thinking from psychology, child protection, and social care research.
Who This Podcast Is For
The Secure Start Podcast supports:
- Residential workers and house supervisors
- Foster and kinship carers
- Social workers & case managers
- Therapeutic specialists & psychologists
- Leaders and executives in out-of-home care
- Policy makers and researchers
- Educators, youth workers, and allied professionals
- Anyone passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable children
If your work is centred on care, healing, safety, or rebuilding trust with young people, you’ll find conversations here that speak to your purpose.
About the Host — Colby Pearce
Colby Pearce is an Australian clinical psychologist with over 30 years’ experience working with children, young people, families, and professionals in the child protection and out-of-home care sectors. His work focuses on trauma, attachment, therapeutic care, and practical approaches that help carers and workers build stability, connection, and recovery with the children they support. He ius also a highly experienced and much sought-after psychotherapist.
The podcast brings together Colby’s deep practice background with his passion for storytelling, professional curiosity, and evidence-informed care.
Our Commitment
We are committed to:
- Respecting the lived experience of children and young people
- Elevating diverse voices from practice, academia, and care settings
- Sharing ideas that strengthen systems, teams, and carers
- Fostering hope, coherence, and clarity in complex work
- Making high-quality learning accessible to the whole sector
Join the Conversation
Subscribe to the podcast to stay connected with new episodes, sector insights, and conversations that inspire confidence, strengthen practice, and support relationally-rich care for children and young people.
Visit: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Your favourite podcast app