Tag Archives: adoption

Children Don’t Need Perfect Adults. They Need Predictable Care

Posted on May 9, 2026 by colbypearce

The Most Important Thing Traumatised Children Need Is Not What Most Systems Prioritise Across my career in out-of-home care, education, and therapeutic practice, I have become increasingly convinced of something uncomfortable: We consistently underestimate the impact of inconsistency on children. … Continue reading →

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The 4 Simple Habits that Can Change a Child’s Behaviour (Without Punishment)

Posted on April 23, 2026 by colbypearce

(Professionals – support for your work with parents to maintain a therapeutic care environment for children and young people recovering from a tough start to life.) The AURA by Secure Start App supports daily reflection and attention to four key … Continue reading →

Posted in AAA Caregiving, Adoption, Attachment, early learning, Fostering, kinship care, trauma informed care, Trauma Informed Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Enhancing Therapeutic Environments with AURA by Secure Start

Posted on February 9, 2026 by colbypearce

For many years now I have been thinking about the usefulness of having an app on the phones of parents and carers of children I am working with, which reminds them of important aspects of maintaining a therapeutic environment in … Continue reading →

Posted in AAA Caregiving, Adoption, Attachment, Fostering, kinship care, Parenting, Therapy, trauma informed, trauma informed care | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Secure Start Podcast Episode 11: Dr Lisa Cherry

Posted on June 15, 2025 by colbypearce

This past week I had the privilege to speak to Dr Lisa Cherry FRSA on The Secure Start Podcast. Lisa is an inspirational global voice for children and young people who could not be safely cared for at home, and … Continue reading →

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Getting behaviour management right for deeply hurt and troubled children and young people: A Triple-A Approach

Posted on May 17, 2025 by colbypearce

Managing behaviours of concern exhibited by deeply hurt and troubled children and young people can be challenging, with conventional approaches like time-out, reward charts, and removing access to a desired item or privilege rarely resulting in a desired outcome. Often … Continue reading →

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What are we not getting right for our boys?

Posted on April 28, 2025 by colbypearce

In a recent interview with Catherine Knibbs on The Secure Start Podcast, as part of my ‘question without notice’ segment I was asked what we are not doing for, or getting right, with our boys. This followed on from a … Continue reading →

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Breaking the cycle of children entering state care

Posted on February 6, 2025 by colbypearce

One of the more insidious impacts of early relational/developmental trauma lies in the area of language development and, especially, inner state language. In an environment where parents are grossly preoccupied with their own challenges, opportunities for language growth are stunted. … Continue reading →

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Update About Me

Posted on December 8, 2024 by colbypearce

In this post I share with the reader a statement of my competencies and experience that I bring to my work and any role I am engaged for. It is also represented on the About Me page of this site. … Continue reading →

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How can I tell what need or experience is the real reason for the child’s behaviour?

Posted on October 9, 2024 by colbypearce

Watch this video to hear hear me talk about the real reasons for behaviours of concern exhibited by children and young people recovering from a tough start to life. You will hear about three key reflective questions to ask and … Continue reading →

Posted in AAA Caregiving, Adoption, Fostering, kinship care, Parenting, trauma informed, trauma informed care, Trauma Informed Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How do I express unconditional positive regard toward deeply hurt and troubled children and young people?

Posted on October 5, 2024 by colbypearce

Transcript: Recently, I have been turning my mind to the notion of unconditional positive regard and how we deploy that when working with deeply hurt and troubled young people. So I think it’s really important to have straight in our … Continue reading →

Posted in AAA Caregiving, Adoption, Children's Behaviour, Fostering, kinship care, Parenting, trauma informed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment