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The upEND Podcast

upEND Movement
Family Policing System
Abolition
Racial Discrimination
Child Welfare System
Poverty
Child Protective Services
Reproductive Justice
Mass Incarceration
Immigration Detention
Community Support
Prison Industrial Complex
Abortion Doulas
Systemic Racism
Family Policing
Racism
White Supremacy
Worth Rises
Solidarity Movements
Child Welfare
Abolition Feminism

We can build a society where children and families are strengthened and supported, not surveilled and separated. The upEND Podcast illustrates that the “child welfare” system is beyond reform and needs to be abolished. The only solution to ending the harm of what we name the family policing system is a fundamental reimagining of the way society cares for children and families.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes23Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DocumentarySociety & Culture

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Artwork for The upEND Podcast

Latest Episodes

How can we support survivors of domestic violence and their children without the child welfare system?

State intervention often forces survivors into impossible choices: remain in a harmful situation to keep their children or engage with a legal sy... more

YouTube

“Parents who use drugs, we're at the bottom of the totem pole.”

We explore what real safety looks like for families when a parent uses substances. Stigma, shame, and anti-Blackness shape the way families are treated by the family policing system, bu... more

YouTube

If we abolish the family policing system, how do we respond to child sexual abuse? Abolition helps us create a world where all children are safe and supported by their communities. We’re addressing the problem, not just sweeping it under the rug.

W... more

YouTube

The family policing system considers parents with mental health issues and other disabilities to be an inherent threat to their children. We reject that premise.

Because of ableism, the legacy of eugenics, and the violence of poverty, disabled pare... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Ashley Albert
National advocate, writer, and peer support specialist; founder of Interned Consulting; creator of healing circles for parents affected by child removal
Interned Consulting; upEND Movement
Episode: What About Survivors of Domestic Violence? (with Ashley Albert)
Dinah Ortiz
Advocate for people who use drugs; board member and leader in Survivors' Union networks
North Carolina Survivors' Union; National Survivors' Union; public defense/harm reduction organizations
Episode: What About Parents Who Use Drugs? (with Dinah Ortiz)
Roxanna Asgarian
Journalist and author, contributor to Reclaiming Safety series
Texas-based journalist and author
Episode: What About Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse? (with Roxanna Asgarian)
Dr. Robyn Powell
Assistant professor of law; disability rights and justice advocate
Stetson University College of Law; Brandeis University
Episode: What About Disabled Parents? (with Dr. Robyn Powell)
Angela Burton
Renowned community lawyer, scholar, and public servant with over 30 years of experience advocating for the rights of parents and children in the family policing system.
Episode: Reclaiming Safety (with Angela Burton)
Ash Williams
A Black trans abortion doula storyteller, community organizer, and public intellectual from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Episode: Why We Need Abortion Doulas (with Ash Williams)
Nalo Zidan
Philosopher, accountability strategist, and masculinity scholar
Episode: Adult Preschool (with Nalo Zidan)
Erica Meiners
Writer, educator, and organizer with a focus on abolitionist movements
Episode: Cops in Cardigans (with Erica Meiners)
Silky Shah
Executive Director of Detention Watch Network and author of Unbuild Walls, Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition
Detention Watch Network
Episode: Unbuild Walls (with Silky Shah)

Hosts

Josie Pickens
Co-host of the show, focused on abolitionist family care and community-based safety.
Jason Oliver
Host of the show, co-leading discussions on dismantling the family policing system.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 64 ratings
  • Wonderful podcast doing what many in my field (social work) are scared to do: question the "child welfare" system and imagine kinder, community-centered, and more supportive alternatives. Though it's not the highest level of podcast production, upEND really expanded my thinking on the family policing system and I am grateful to the hosts and their guests for sharing their knowledge.

    Podchaser
    4
    Sage Anastasia
    a month ago
  • Incredibly insightful and important discussions. Cannot recommend this podcast enough!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    thefattingtonfrisk
    5 months ago

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What About Survivors of Domestic Violence? (with Ashley Albert)
Q: What do you think people misunderstand about the experiences you've described and about the services the state provides?
She emphasizes that the system often criminalizes survivors, treats coping strategies as risk factors, and that interventions are more about surveillance than genuine safety or care, particularly for Black women; she calls for community-centered safety and repair rather than state-led reform.
What About Survivors of Domestic Violence? (with Ashley Albert)
Q: Can you introduce yourself and share how your experiences connect to intimate partner violence within families?
Ashley shares her story as a Black woman who survived domestic violence, foster care, and incarceration, explaining how these experiences inform her abolitionist stance and her work creating healing circles and supportive community structures for families impacted by the system.
Reclaiming Safety (with Angela Burton)
Q: What makes you hopeful that communities can work to keep children and families safe outside of these punitive carceral systems?
Angela expresses hope in the ongoing shifts towards community-based initiatives and the connections people are making to resist and create safer environments for families.
Reclaiming Safety (with Angela Burton)
Q: How have various influences shaped your path? How have the questions you've struggled with changed over time?
Angela discusses how her upbringing and education shaped her mindset towards abolition, highlighting the influences in her community and the teachers who encouraged her critical thinking.
Why We Need Abortion Doulas (with Ash Williams)
Q: What are some of the major challenges and barriers people face when seeking abortions?
Ash highlights stigma and shame as significant barriers, alongside legislative restrictions and economic pressures, particularly impacting marginalized groups such as queer and trans individuals.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The upEND Podcast

What is The upEND Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show consistently centers abolitionist approaches to family safety and community-based care, challenging accepted reform of the child welfare system and advocating for a fundamental reimagining of how society supports families. Across episodes, conversations profile survivors, advocates, journalists, and legal scholars who push for decarceral solutions, harm-reduction approaches, and systemic change. Notable threads include personal lived experiences with state interventions, discussions of racial bias in child protection, and practical visions for safety that rely on community networks, restorative and transformative justice, and universal supports rather than state-led removal.

Listeners can expect candid storytelling, rigorous criti... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The upEND Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The upEND Podcast:

1. You're Wrong About
2. Becoming the People Podcast with Prentis Hemphill
3. A Bit Fruity with Matt Bernstein
4. First America
5. Scene on Radio

How many episodes of The upEND Podcast are there?

The upEND Podcast launched 3 years ago and published 23 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The upEND Podcast?

Recent guests on The upEND Podcast include:

1. Ashley Albert
2. Dinah Ortiz
3. Roxanna Asgarian
4. Dr. Robyn Powell
5. Angela Burton
6. Ash Williams
7. Nalo Zidan
8. Erica Meiners

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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