Lisa Mainwaring
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social
Newbie looking to connect! 🌟 Adoptive mum, Christian & advocate for children navigating early life trauma & poverty. PR Lead @Turn2us, journalist, media law lecturer, writer & award-winning podcast producer/trainer. #Adoption #SocialAffairs
Lovely evening soundtrack tonight: crying children, barking dogs, and fireworks that sound like incoming artillery. Nothing says “celebration” quite like mild panic and earplugs all round.
October 20, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Lovely evening soundtrack tonight: crying children, barking dogs, and fireworks that sound like incoming artillery. Nothing says “celebration” quite like mild panic and earplugs all round.
I’ve stopped getting the bus from Waterloo to the City and started walking instead. 40 mins each way. For health reasons. Specifically: a deeply committed relationship with ice cream.
June 11, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I’ve stopped getting the bus from Waterloo to the City and started walking instead. 40 mins each way. For health reasons. Specifically: a deeply committed relationship with ice cream.
Free school meals? Served.
Nurseries? More.
School libraries getting a big refill. 📚
But the therapy lifeline that helps adopted kids un-learn the chaos wired into their brains, still dangles off the funding cliff.
Secure the fund so every child can heal and play.
#SpendingReview #ASGSF
Nurseries? More.
School libraries getting a big refill. 📚
But the therapy lifeline that helps adopted kids un-learn the chaos wired into their brains, still dangles off the funding cliff.
Secure the fund so every child can heal and play.
#SpendingReview #ASGSF
June 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Free school meals? Served.
Nurseries? More.
School libraries getting a big refill. 📚
But the therapy lifeline that helps adopted kids un-learn the chaos wired into their brains, still dangles off the funding cliff.
Secure the fund so every child can heal and play.
#SpendingReview #ASGSF
Nurseries? More.
School libraries getting a big refill. 📚
But the therapy lifeline that helps adopted kids un-learn the chaos wired into their brains, still dangles off the funding cliff.
Secure the fund so every child can heal and play.
#SpendingReview #ASGSF
#SpendingReview in two acts:
Act 1 🎉: NHS power-up, shiny new buses, social homes unlocked & free school meals
Act 2 😬: Disability support quietly thrown in the bin
That’s like treating everyone to pizza, then yanking the chairs away. Let’s scrap the cuts so everyone gets a seat at the table.
Act 1 🎉: NHS power-up, shiny new buses, social homes unlocked & free school meals
Act 2 😬: Disability support quietly thrown in the bin
That’s like treating everyone to pizza, then yanking the chairs away. Let’s scrap the cuts so everyone gets a seat at the table.
June 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
#SpendingReview in two acts:
Act 1 🎉: NHS power-up, shiny new buses, social homes unlocked & free school meals
Act 2 😬: Disability support quietly thrown in the bin
That’s like treating everyone to pizza, then yanking the chairs away. Let’s scrap the cuts so everyone gets a seat at the table.
Act 1 🎉: NHS power-up, shiny new buses, social homes unlocked & free school meals
Act 2 😬: Disability support quietly thrown in the bin
That’s like treating everyone to pizza, then yanking the chairs away. Let’s scrap the cuts so everyone gets a seat at the table.
We urgently need a cross-departmental impact assessment on the ASGSF cuts. Once policymakers see how costs shift directly to DWP and NHS CAMHS budgets, the false economy becomes clear. #ASGSF #AdoptionPoverty #JoinedUpThinking
The Potato Group is backing calls for the government to reverse the changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. Please consider signing this petition, and joining us on May 3rd in London. #asgsf
April 22, 2025 at 6:13 PM
We urgently need a cross-departmental impact assessment on the ASGSF cuts. Once policymakers see how costs shift directly to DWP and NHS CAMHS budgets, the false economy becomes clear. #ASGSF #AdoptionPoverty #JoinedUpThinking
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social Might you share (again) :)
Good trouble for children formally looked after or in kinship families.
Sign the petition.
Join the March. May 3rd, 2025.
asgsfprotest.com?fbclid=IwY2x...
Good trouble for children formally looked after or in kinship families.
Sign the petition.
Join the March. May 3rd, 2025.
asgsfprotest.com?fbclid=IwY2x...
a poster that says " get in good trouble " on it
ALT: a poster that says " get in good trouble " on it
media.tenor.com
April 19, 2025 at 6:13 PM
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social Might you share (again) :)
Good trouble for children formally looked after or in kinship families.
Sign the petition.
Join the March. May 3rd, 2025.
asgsfprotest.com?fbclid=IwY2x...
Good trouble for children formally looked after or in kinship families.
Sign the petition.
Join the March. May 3rd, 2025.
asgsfprotest.com?fbclid=IwY2x...
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
@civilsociety.bsky.social @cwva.bsky.social
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social @kattenbarge.bsky.social
@lewisgoodall.com @newfamilysocial.bsky.social @kaleighwatterson.bsky.social @shropshirestar.com @ukfundraising.bsky.social @financialtimes.com
We would appreciate your support in raising awareness❤️
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social @kattenbarge.bsky.social
@lewisgoodall.com @newfamilysocial.bsky.social @kaleighwatterson.bsky.social @shropshirestar.com @ukfundraising.bsky.social @financialtimes.com
We would appreciate your support in raising awareness❤️
April 1, 2025 at 11:55 AM
@civilsociety.bsky.social @cwva.bsky.social
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social @kattenbarge.bsky.social
@lewisgoodall.com @newfamilysocial.bsky.social @kaleighwatterson.bsky.social @shropshirestar.com @ukfundraising.bsky.social @financialtimes.com
We would appreciate your support in raising awareness❤️
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social @kattenbarge.bsky.social
@lewisgoodall.com @newfamilysocial.bsky.social @kaleighwatterson.bsky.social @shropshirestar.com @ukfundraising.bsky.social @financialtimes.com
We would appreciate your support in raising awareness❤️
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
A truly insightful article about the threat to the ASGSF fund which will affect many thousands of #adoptive families from
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social
#ASGSF #AdoptionSupport #AdoptionMatters
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social
#ASGSF #AdoptionSupport #AdoptionMatters
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
My sons need therapy - Labour might be about to take it away
Adopted children won’t magically stop needing therapy if their support disappears.
metro.co.uk
March 18, 2025 at 9:42 AM
A truly insightful article about the threat to the ASGSF fund which will affect many thousands of #adoptive families from
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social
#ASGSF #AdoptionSupport #AdoptionMatters
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
@lisamainwaring.bsky.social
#ASGSF #AdoptionSupport #AdoptionMatters
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
Please share this onwards, raising awareness of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (#ASGSF) is, and how crucial it is for our children and our whole families it continues - thanks so much to @lisamainwaring.bsky.social for getting this out there!
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
I adopted my son at 3 - he couldn't bear to be touched
Adopted children won’t magically stop needing therapy if their support disappears.
metro.co.uk
March 18, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Please share this onwards, raising awareness of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (#ASGSF) is, and how crucial it is for our children and our whole families it continues - thanks so much to @lisamainwaring.bsky.social for getting this out there!
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
metro.co.uk/2025/03/17/s...
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
New 2025 dates for our free #PersonalIndependencePayment #PIP and #DisabilityLivingAllowance #DLA sessions now out!
Please see the flyer for details - I'll post links below too :)
Please share far and wide so we can reach as many families as possible. (Message us for a PDF of the flyer with links)
Please see the flyer for details - I'll post links below too :)
Please share far and wide so we can reach as many families as possible. (Message us for a PDF of the flyer with links)
January 8, 2025 at 7:05 PM
New 2025 dates for our free #PersonalIndependencePayment #PIP and #DisabilityLivingAllowance #DLA sessions now out!
Please see the flyer for details - I'll post links below too :)
Please share far and wide so we can reach as many families as possible. (Message us for a PDF of the flyer with links)
Please see the flyer for details - I'll post links below too :)
Please share far and wide so we can reach as many families as possible. (Message us for a PDF of the flyer with links)
Mini stampede of deer in #BushyPark this morning, courtesy of one very enthusiastic, yappy dog, legs going like the clappers, owner nowhere to be seen. I can only assume his name was FENTON?! (Because, let’s be honest, history does have a way of repeating itself) #DogonTheLoose
February 2, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Mini stampede of deer in #BushyPark this morning, courtesy of one very enthusiastic, yappy dog, legs going like the clappers, owner nowhere to be seen. I can only assume his name was FENTON?! (Because, let’s be honest, history does have a way of repeating itself) #DogonTheLoose
Anyone else been ghosted by the Three mobile network today? My phone has basically turned into a very expensive clock. I haven’t been able to make or receive calls or texts all day. #threenetworkdown downdetector.co.uk/status/3/
Three down? Current problems and issues |
Real-time Three problems and issues. Network down or no internet? We'll tell you what is going on.
downdetector.co.uk
January 23, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Anyone else been ghosted by the Three mobile network today? My phone has basically turned into a very expensive clock. I haven’t been able to make or receive calls or texts all day. #threenetworkdown downdetector.co.uk/status/3/
Out two nights in a row-still life in the old girl yet! Tonight: a surprise birthday screening of ‘Stop Making Sense’. David Byrne? What a showman. Also, weirdly Cillian Murphy vibes in a few shots. Same hair, same intensity!
January 18, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Out two nights in a row-still life in the old girl yet! Tonight: a surprise birthday screening of ‘Stop Making Sense’. David Byrne? What a showman. Also, weirdly Cillian Murphy vibes in a few shots. Same hair, same intensity!
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
This is a thread about unpaid #carers and (I’ll be honest with you - I’m doing this with tears in my eyes) it’s in response to the broader questions that potential entrants to my #curae literary prize for writer-carers have dmd me with. I couldn’t walk by. Apologies for repetition and please share ❤️
January 5, 2025 at 2:19 PM
This is a thread about unpaid #carers and (I’ll be honest with you - I’m doing this with tears in my eyes) it’s in response to the broader questions that potential entrants to my #curae literary prize for writer-carers have dmd me with. I couldn’t walk by. Apologies for repetition and please share ❤️
Just took the Christmas tree down & now the room looks massive. Like we’ve gained an extension! Came back late last night from our trip t'up north & today I went full tornado mode: decorations down, tree undressed, house nearly decluttered. Satisfying but sad - goodbye Christmas, hello space!
January 2, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Just took the Christmas tree down & now the room looks massive. Like we’ve gained an extension! Came back late last night from our trip t'up north & today I went full tornado mode: decorations down, tree undressed, house nearly decluttered. Satisfying but sad - goodbye Christmas, hello space!
Shoutout to McDonald’s for their magical #ReindeerReady app! 🎄🦌 The kids were in awe watching the reindeer eat the carrots they left out. It brought so much Christmas magic into our home. Brilliant use of tech to spark joy and imagination! #ChristmasMagic #FamilyMoments
December 25, 2024 at 10:32 PM
Shoutout to McDonald’s for their magical #ReindeerReady app! 🎄🦌 The kids were in awe watching the reindeer eat the carrots they left out. It brought so much Christmas magic into our home. Brilliant use of tech to spark joy and imagination! #ChristmasMagic #FamilyMoments
Christmas isn’t complete without Some Like It Hot. Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, & just enough mischief to keep things merry and bright!
December 25, 2024 at 3:45 PM
Christmas isn’t complete without Some Like It Hot. Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, & just enough mischief to keep things merry and bright!
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
Word of the day (of course) is ‘scurryfunging’, from US dialect: the frantic attempt to tidy the house just before guests arrive.
December 23, 2024 at 12:54 PM
Word of the day (of course) is ‘scurryfunging’, from US dialect: the frantic attempt to tidy the house just before guests arrive.
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
This is a great infographic and will be helpful for all professionals and families too. It’s useful for all adults to reflect on also.
www.theottoolbox.com/emotional-re...
www.theottoolbox.com/emotional-re...
December 21, 2024 at 12:12 PM
This is a great infographic and will be helpful for all professionals and families too. It’s useful for all adults to reflect on also.
www.theottoolbox.com/emotional-re...
www.theottoolbox.com/emotional-re...
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
Water bills are set to rise by over a third in the next five years, hitting the poorest families relying on inadequate Universal Credit hardest.
The government must set out plans for the review of Universal Credit it committed to in its manifesto urgently.
www.theguardian.com/money/2024/d...
The government must set out plans for the review of Universal Credit it committed to in its manifesto urgently.
www.theguardian.com/money/2024/d...
Average water bill in England and Wales to rise by 36% over five years
Firms accused of forcing households to pay for years of underinvestment after Ofwat agrees to increases to help fix sector
www.theguardian.com
December 19, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Water bills are set to rise by over a third in the next five years, hitting the poorest families relying on inadequate Universal Credit hardest.
The government must set out plans for the review of Universal Credit it committed to in its manifesto urgently.
www.theguardian.com/money/2024/d...
The government must set out plans for the review of Universal Credit it committed to in its manifesto urgently.
www.theguardian.com/money/2024/d...
The Dominique Pelicot case shows us a hard truth: these weren’t “monsters” - they were ordinary men.
Male violence isn’t rare or isolated; it grows from a culture that quietly devalues women.
Change starts with how we raise our sons, how we model respect, and what we refuse to tolerate.
Male violence isn’t rare or isolated; it grows from a culture that quietly devalues women.
Change starts with how we raise our sons, how we model respect, and what we refuse to tolerate.
December 19, 2024 at 10:48 PM
The Dominique Pelicot case shows us a hard truth: these weren’t “monsters” - they were ordinary men.
Male violence isn’t rare or isolated; it grows from a culture that quietly devalues women.
Change starts with how we raise our sons, how we model respect, and what we refuse to tolerate.
Male violence isn’t rare or isolated; it grows from a culture that quietly devalues women.
Change starts with how we raise our sons, how we model respect, and what we refuse to tolerate.
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
Here is a piece I wrote recently www.thebookseller.com/comment/quer... & @the-bookseller.bsky.social kindly made it open access. I’m currently writing some short guides for mentors working on creative writing courses on #SEN & I’d like your help and would like to explain why that is. Read on!
Querying must be inclusive too
How can agents and publishers make the querying process easier for writers with a disability?
www.thebookseller.com
December 18, 2024 at 4:50 PM
Here is a piece I wrote recently www.thebookseller.com/comment/quer... & @the-bookseller.bsky.social kindly made it open access. I’m currently writing some short guides for mentors working on creative writing courses on #SEN & I’d like your help and would like to explain why that is. Read on!
Reposted by Lisa Mainwaring
True luxury is found in the simplest moments.
December 18, 2024 at 8:59 PM
True luxury is found in the simplest moments.
School email: Send baby photos to show how your child has grown!
Ah, yes - the classic ‘baby photos’ request. Unfortunately, our adopted son’s origin story starts a wee later.
Might just send a photo of him holding a sign that says: “I arrived fully assembled.”
#NotAllBeginningsComeInBabyPics
Ah, yes - the classic ‘baby photos’ request. Unfortunately, our adopted son’s origin story starts a wee later.
Might just send a photo of him holding a sign that says: “I arrived fully assembled.”
#NotAllBeginningsComeInBabyPics
December 18, 2024 at 6:13 PM
School email: Send baby photos to show how your child has grown!
Ah, yes - the classic ‘baby photos’ request. Unfortunately, our adopted son’s origin story starts a wee later.
Might just send a photo of him holding a sign that says: “I arrived fully assembled.”
#NotAllBeginningsComeInBabyPics
Ah, yes - the classic ‘baby photos’ request. Unfortunately, our adopted son’s origin story starts a wee later.
Might just send a photo of him holding a sign that says: “I arrived fully assembled.”
#NotAllBeginningsComeInBabyPics
Why is it always mums who get the school calls when things go sideways? Tried to enjoy a rare office social today - two calls! Meanwhile, my husband’s at home, and I’m acting as his secretary. Does he have an invisibility cloak, or just a really impressive "Do Not Disturb" sign?
December 12, 2024 at 6:20 PM
Why is it always mums who get the school calls when things go sideways? Tried to enjoy a rare office social today - two calls! Meanwhile, my husband’s at home, and I’m acting as his secretary. Does he have an invisibility cloak, or just a really impressive "Do Not Disturb" sign?