Radio National Breakfast Changing Australia: Bronwyn Sheehan and connecting with children in out-of-home care
Mar 15, 2026
Bronwyn Sheehan, founder of the Pyjama Foundation who trains volunteers to mentor children in out-of-home care. She describes starting with one toddler and how reading aloud sparked connection. She talks about trauma-informed volunteer training, the challenge of building trust through consistency, and how tailored weekly mentoring helps children catch up in reading.
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Nursing Encounters Sparked The Mission
- Bronwyn Sheehan first met children in state protection while nursing, including a 13-year-old living on the streets and two toddlers in hospital wards.
- Those early encounters shocked her and showed a world she hadn't known, prompting later action to support foster children through reading.
Reading To One Toddler Launched The Pyjama Foundation
- An 18-month boy placed with a foster carer inspired Bronwyn to bring books and read weekly to spark his interest in stories.
- Seeing the
Volunteer Power Scaled Impact Nationwide
- Community volunteers scaled the program rapidly; over 21 years the foundation trained 15,000 volunteers and reached nearly 20,000 children.
- Volunteers (Pyjama Angels) read 3.8 million books and played over 10 million games of UNO, showing intensive sustained engagement.
