In this episode, Adoption & Fostering Production Editor, Vicky Walker, and Editor-in-Chief, Dr Dennis Golm, are joined by Professor Nick Midgley (University College London) and Expert by Experience, Jackie Tripp, a kinship carer. Nick and Jackie talk about the Reflective Fostering Programme, an intervention designed to help carers support the children in their care. The Programme was evaluated as part of a large-scale randomised controlled trial, which showed that it was not only beneficial for carers, reducing stress and burnout and improving the carer–child relationship, but also cost-effective. While Nick outlines the study and its findings, Jackie describes its life-changing impact on her as a participant in the Programme.
Read more about the study in Volume 50, Issue 2 (April 2026) of Adoption & Fostering: The Reflective Fostering Programme – Improving the wellbeing of children in care through a group intervention for foster carers: A randomised controlled trial
Nick Midgley , PhD, is Professor of Psychological Therapies with Children and Young People in the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, UCL.
Jackie Tripp is married to Keith and together they have six children and 15 grandchildren, so have experienced and observed a wide range of parenting approaches. Jackie has been involved in teaching primary school-aged children, from four to 11 years old, for over 20 years which has given her a broad understanding of differing and sometimes very complex needs. However, fostering two grandsons from January 2020, aged five and 12, brought a whole new dimension to parenting and understanding children’s needs.
Watch the conversation
Listen to the conversation
Resources