The Secure Start Podcast

13/04/2026

FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS, THE CLASSROOM AURA APP CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE APPLE APP STORE FOR FREE.

Whether you work in education, or are using the AURA by Secure Start app at home and want to see what aligned care in our child's school might look like, this is strictly for a limited time (normal cost AUD$5.00).

The AURA Apps aim to support consistent reparative caregiving behaviour through daily reminders and reflections.

If you are using either app, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Follow the link in the first comment to download the Classroom AURA app for free.

09/04/2026

YOUR PRIVACY IS ASSURED. NO DATA COLLECTED, except on your own phone. You can clear it anytime. Android version in final stages of pre-release testing. AURA by Secure Start. A gently therapeutic parenting app. Download in the App Store now.

https://youtube.com/shorts/RxS-a0bEv1w?si=GyY6nFpDlNRtWw0x

A short promotional video about the AURA by Secure Start app.

06/04/2026

Hello. As some of you know I have developed a version of the AURA App for carers for Android users. Before this goes live, I need volunteers for closed testing. All you need to do is download the app and keep it active on your phone for fourteen days. The app provides daily reminders of conventional caregiving behaviours that are therapeutic, to keep the user on track with delivering them. There is already a version live on the apple app store.

If you are happy to participate in the trial, please message me and include the email address you use for your google play account. Thanks very much!

13/03/2026

Love this new graphic of my work

05/03/2026

An ideal pairing. Complementary apps for home and school. Intended to help keep therapeutic, trauma-informed care on track at home and school. Consistency and alignment are vital for our children, especially those who have experienced developmental trauma and other adversities growing up. Download while they are still free.

Links in comments.



followers

04/03/2026

My app for therapeutic classrooms. Android version coming soon.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/secure-start-classroom-aura/id6759266336

followers

15/02/2026

For years I wanted to build an app that supported alignment with my work with children and young people, and adult stakeholders in their lives. The AURA app finally supports this mission. For anyone wanting to maintain focus on therapeutic caregiving endeavour between sessions, trainings, and home visits, I trust that this app will be helpful to you. I will put a link in the first comment.
NB the app is in review for EU countries and I anticipate it being available soon.
NBB companion app for schools in final stages of development.
NBB android version coming soon - send me a message to show your interest and give me a ‘hurry-up’

followers

08/02/2026

08/02/2026

New version taking into account local timezones.



Adoption, Fostering and Parenting from Jessica Kingsley Publishers

06/02/2026

See the AURA. by Secure Start App.

I am very pleased and relieved to let you know that my new app is being uploaded to the App Store.

The AURA by Secure Start App brings to life the AURA framework I have been using for the last few years to articulate a straightforward and practical approach to daily therapeutic (re-)parenting for children and young people recovering from adversity, loss, or other traumas. It represents a distillation of thirty years experience working in child protection, out of home care, and related endeavours.

The app is anticipated to be most useful for foster carers, kinship carers, residential child care workers, and parents who wish to implement and monitor the potential impact of performing four straightforward therapeutic/reparative parenting behaviours.

Each day the user receives three reminders to record their performance of the four parenting behaviours, at 8am, 4pm, and 9pm, and to complete a simple rating of how the day went. This can be done for one or more children. All information is stored on the users device, and can be deleted at any time by the user. The user can track performance and progress across time, and can share the information they have entered via an export function. This means that the app is useful to monitor implementation and impact of four simple therapeutic parenting behaviours when the child or family is involved with support or therapeutic services. With the appropriate approvals, the app could also be used for research purposes.

The app is free to download and will remain free for individuals and organisations who work with me.

The app will be released on the Google Play Store shortly. There are variations of the app for other populations coming soon.

If you download the app, please let me know what was your experience of it.

30/01/2026

"It's not the strategy that is regulating the behaviour of concern. It's the shame"

Taken from my recent podcast conversation with Vicki McKeown talking about the implications and practical applications of Shame Containment Theory.