Comfort Cases: Unpacked Podcast | Episode 3 | Trevor Elliott

What does it really mean to give a young person in foster care a home? Not simply a placement. Not just a bed. But a place where they feel safe enough, supported enough, and understood enough to begin to heal.

This week on Comfort Cases: UnPacked, Rob Scheer is joined from the United Kingdom by Trevor Elliott MBE, Managing Director of Kennedy Elliott and a longtime foster carer and advocate for vulnerable children and young people.

The conversation opens on a lighter and deeply personal note as Rob reflects on receiving his honorary degree from Lynn University and compares that experience with Trevor being awarded an MBE, Member of the Order of the British Empire, for his service to vulnerable children. From there, the discussion turns to the work both men have devoted much of their lives to: improving the way children and young people experience foster care.

Trevor became a foster carer in his twenties and has spent decades supporting young people through fostering, residential care, mentoring, sports, and community programs. Today, his work focuses on creating environments where young people who have experienced trauma can build trust, stability, and a genuine sense of belonging.

Rob and Trevor also compare the foster care systems in the United States and United Kingdom, exploring the challenges both countries share, including placement instability, shortages of foster homes, changing pressures on caregivers, and the need to better prepare adults to support young people growing up in an increasingly complex world. As Trevor puts it: “We need more homes for these kids.”

But more homes alone are not enough. Trevor also stresses the need for more “foster carers” and better training to give them the coping mechanisms and tools they need to support children growing up in today’s technology era.

What receiving an MBE meant to Trevor, and Rob’s comparison to receiving his honorary degree from Lynn University Trevor’s experience becoming a foster carer in his twenties The difference between providing a young person with a placement and creating a true home Why trauma, past relationships, and broken trust can influence a young person’s behavior The importance of responding to challenging behavior with understanding rather than judgment Why the UK needs more foster carers and more homes for children in care Why foster carers need better preparation and coping strategies for raising young people in today’s technology era The similarities and differences between foster care in the United Kingdom and the United States The impact of placement instability and repeated moves on young people Why relationships, mentoring, sports, and community can play such an important role in healing How adults can help children in care see themselves as more than a label or a circumstance

Trevor Elliott MBE has dedicated much of his adult life to supporting vulnerable children and young people.

He became a foster carer in his twenties and went on to establish residential children’s homes across London while continuing to support young people through fostering, sports, mentorship, and community programs.

Trevor is Managing Director of Kennedy Elliott, which provides accommodation and trauma-informed support for young people ages 11–25 who have experienced significant adversity. Its approach focuses on creating safe, nurturing environments and dependable relationships where young people can heal, develop, and reach their potential. Trevor has also used his platform to advocate publicly for children in care and to draw attention to the growing pressures facing the UK foster care system.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to vulnerable children.

Website:⁠ Kennedy Elliott⁠

For those in our audience in the United Kingdom, a reminder that in 2022, Comfort Cases UK opened its doors, supporting approximately 80,000 children and young people in foster care there.

Please consider supporting Comfort Cases UK by visiting:⁠ www.comfortcasesuk.org⁠

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To listen to previous episodes of Fostering Change and Comfort Cases: Unpacked, please visit: www.comfortcases.org/podcast or your favorite podcast outlets.

📩 Have thoughts or questions, or an idea for a future guest? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org – we’d love to hear from you! From all of us at Comfort Cases: Unpacked, thank you for listening, for sharing this journey with us through seven incredible seasons, and for believing that every child deserves dignity, belonging, and hope.