The #alwayschildfocused Podcast

The #alwayschildfocused Podcast

Hosted by Benjamin Goddard, #alwayschildfocused is a podcast for parents going through separation. Separated into four sections starting with Contact: Designed to support families commencing their separation journey; Ideas:exploring great visit locations and exciting activities to help maximise your time during each visits; Questions: asked to friends of our service from all around the family law and mental health sectors about their role inside of the family law. and Toolbox: an opportunity to sharpen up your parenting skills with a variety of concepts and resources that will help you understand your needs and your childs needs throughout the separation process.

Episodes

January 18, 2023 15 mins

In this episode of #alwayschildfocused: Questions, we invited Michele Silver from The Mediation Team back to the podcast to discuss the benefits of mediation for your children. This very earnest episode may include some challenging ideas for separating parents however this is an episode that we believe is so important for an #alwasychildfocused approach to post separation parenting. 

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In this episode of #alwayschildfocused: Questions, we invited Michele Silver from The Mediation Team to chat with Ben & Jakki about how mediation works and why it can be a more advantageous approach for separating parents. This is a fascinating podcast about an often times misunderstood approach to Family Dispute Resolution that every parent traversing the family court process should listen to. 

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This was destined to be a super-fun episode of #alwayschildfocused: Questions and it did not disappoint! We were thrilled to have Sav, the professor and owner of Gracie Jiu Jitsu Botany and Vicki - both of whom fit into that special category of human being who have a passion for coaching children as well as children with additional needs.   Gracie Botany is just around the corner from our head office and even from the outsid...
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October 12, 2022 21 mins
Our Service Manager Jakki happened across the Inspiraminds stall at a local weekend markets recently and within a few minutes she invited Dominique onto the podcast to discuss her passion. You’ll only have to listen for 60 seconds to be as captivated as we were.   Inspiraminds provides a series of books to support children’s understanding of big feelings and emotional regulation. Now we think you’ll agree that a fair amoun...
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October 12, 2022 13 mins
Of all the important responsibilities our Service Manager Jakki has in her role, the most important is with the child. Right after that is having a close working relationship with Independent Children's Lawyers (ICLs) who are often appointed by the court to represent the child throughout family court matters.   In this episode we had the great privilege to have Julie Shedden as our guest - with her decades of experience in f...
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Pamela Cominos, Principal of Cominos Family Lawyers joins us in this straight to the point, no nonsense episode about the role of family lawyers.   Benefit from Pamela's decades of experience in this episode as she outlines what family lawyers should want for their clients and their children. According to Pamela, a good family lawyer will be a peacemaker who is able to tell their clients 'the kind truth' when it comes to chi...
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September 23, 2022 7 mins

On this podcast one of our Wollongong contact workers Leanne join us to discuss visits in Wollongong library. Great for all ages, Wollongong library has lots of quiet places and great opportunities for children to build their relationship with the parent they don’t live with. A great wet weather option for Wollongong visits - make sure you have a listen 

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September 23, 2022 7 mins

Central Coast Contact Worker Debbie joins the #alwayschildfocused podcast to talk about her experience doing visits in Tuggerah Westfield. Starting out with Iplay (formerly known as Timezone) for air hockey followed by food and drink at some of the cafes (or more likely McDonald’s) which kid of any age doesn’t want to spend time with the visiting parent here? 

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September 22, 2022 5 mins

Leanne join us again on the alwayschildfocused podcast to discuss Thirroul Park north of the Wollongong CBD. The park boasts new play equipment including a flying fox (always a winner!), access to the beach (ankles only) and a short walk from some great cafes for some snacks. This is the perfect location for children to have nice bonding experiences with the parent they don’t live with and demonstrates why community based visits pr...

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September 22, 2022 7 mins

Contact Worker Debbie joins the #alwayschildfocused podcast again, this time to discuss visits at the picturesque Lions Park in Woy Woy - complete with pelicans. Perfect for outdoor picnics and playing ball games, there is also opportunity for fishing for an organised visiting parent! Fishing with your child? Yes please!

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This episode is an absolute must listen to for any parent going through separation. This is the ultimate #alwayschildfocused episode   This episode introduces our Assistant Service Manager Natalie - our highly skilled and experienced child and family therapist. Nat drops by to discuss with Jakki the effects of separation on children, some of the signs to look out for and how parents can support their child through separation an...
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Jakki and Sam return to support parents who are about to read their first report and as Jakki mentions right at the top of the podcast - it can be confronting for both parents. So this podcast is really about validating those common emotions that parents feel when they read their first report, with Jakki and Sam discussing how you should process those feelings and what supports parents can put in place to manage those emotions and ...
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First visits are challenging for everyone. For the visiting parent there are the nerves and excitement in the lead up to the day; for the residential parent there may be anxiety about being separated from your child for a few hours and of course we know from research that children pick up on their parents emotions.   Jakki and Sam are back in this episode to guide you through these emotions - and it's important to recognise t...
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  Child Familiarisation Sessions are an important part of the intake process at Holding Hands and should form a part of children's contact visits. These sessions are the first time your child and the parent they live with have to meet your allocated contact worker. This opportunity to start building trust often decreases any anxiety a child has in the lead up to their first contact visit - which we think all parents would agree i...
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Intake Assessments at Holding Hands are conducted by our Senior Contact Workers which is why Jakki is introducing one of our Senior Contact Workers Sam on to the podcast. Take the opportunity to be introduced to sam as she explains why we do intake assessments and what happens during an intake assessment .   This episode is highly recommended for parents who are about to have their intake assessment interviews with Holding Hands.
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September 19, 2022 11 mins
Perfect for parents who have courts orders for supervised contact or those families making their initial enquiries with contact service providers. Get to know our Service Manager Jakki as she discusses what contact is and how community based children's contact visits are facilitated at Holding Hands.   This episode is strongly recommended for parents who have just received court orders for contact visits or have agreed to contact v...
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