Pause and Listen

For this special episode of Pause and Listen, we are passing the mic to women working with Pause in the North East. The women have been attending weekly music therapy sessions with Afra, a Nordoff Robins music therapist. Nordoff Robins is the UK’s largest music therapy charity. The sessions started as a music appreciation group and a space for the women to share their favourite music and how it connected them to important moments in their lives. This episode focuses on Vanessa’s journey into writing her own songs, as well as live performances of the three songs she has written.  

A huge thank you to Vanessa for sharing her music, as well as all the women who have taken part in the sessions, Afra and all the Practitioners at Pause North East. We really hope you enjoy this bonus episode of Pause and Listen, exploring the power of music therapy sessions and the connections they create. 

Hosted by Clare Laxton  
Produced by Fi Gilligan 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: pause.org.uk 

In this episode, we discuss expert witness assessments during care proceedings. Although these assessments fulfil the function of informing proceedings, they are carried out by independent experts that are usually not part of the mental health service landscape in the local area. This creates a separate issue in that they offer no referral to mental health services for women, which could lead to positive change. 

We are joined by Clinical Psychologist Sheena Webb and Kelly Andrews, who is a Pre-Birth Practitioner for the Foundation Service, which is part of SWIFT Specialist Family Service in East Sussex. We also hear a clip from Suzy*, a woman working with Pause, about her experience of expert witness assessments, when she spoke to Naga Munchetty on BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday 5 July 2022. 

*not her real name

Hosted by Clare Laxton  
Produced by Fi Gilligan 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: pause.org.uk 

In this episode, we are joined by Ellen Marks, social worker, play therapist and also Pause’s Director of Practice and Learning, to discuss the Care Review’s final report and findings that were published in May. 

Pause has worked with the Care Review team over the past year to ensure the experiences of birth parents are represented in their final report. We wanted to see a recognition of the needs of birth parents and a clear recommendation for them to receive support. We also wanted to see changes to family time, relationships with children and letterbox contact. In this episode, we discuss with Ellen what the review could mean for birth parents and their children.  

The Care Review team have spent a lot of time with women who work with Pause and we are grateful to them for listening to their feedback.  

Hosted by Clare Laxton  
Produced by Fi Gilligan 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: pause.org.uk 

Welcome back to Pause and Listen! We are so delighted to share our fourth series with you all. In this exciting episode, we take our #TimeToDeliver campaign on letterbox contact to Downing Street. Join us as we walk down Whitehall to Downing Street, to hand in our open letter to the Prime Minister. The letter is calling for changes to the current letterbox contact system, which is failing adopted children, birth parents and adoptive families. The system is outdated, complicated and does not always lead to long-lasting, meaningful relationships. Families need consistent support and a system based on relationships, not administration. That’s why we’re letting Boris Johnson know it’s #TimeToDeliver on letterbox contact.  

In this episode, we are joined by women who have all worked with Pause, as well as Larrah, a Pause Practitioner, and Hannah, the Coordinator for Pause Plymouth.  

Hosted by Clare Laxton and Phoebe Green  
Produced by Fi Gilligan 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: pause.org.uk  

 

Read our open letter here. 

For this episode of Pause and Listen, we are joined by Harpreet Kaur, Practice Lead for Pause Southwark, and Liz, a woman who worked with Pause Hackney. Liz is now a Peer Mentor and has also set up her own support network called Little Steps. In this episode, we are discussing letterbox contact, an indirect form of contact where adoptive and birth families exchange letters, often once a year. 

Relationships with children is a top priority for women working with Pause. In particular, they consistently tell us about the difficulties they have with letterbox contact. The letterbox contact system is not delivering – it is outdated, complicated and does not always lead to long-lasting, meaningful relationships between parents and children. They deserve better. Families need consistent support and a system based on relationships, not administration.  Our report looks at the system, with a focus on the experience of birth mothers, and provides recommendations for change. To read more about our Time to Deliver report on letterbox contact, please visit our website:  https://www.pause.org.uk/what-we-do/influencing/letterbox-contact/   

To support our campaign calling for a better system, please email your MP and let them know it’s #TimeToDeliver on letterbox contact: https://action.pause.org.uk/Timetodeliver/   

Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @LadyLaxton 
Produced by Fi Gilligan  
Music by Ben Jacob  
Editing by Will Jacob  

To find out more about Pause, visit: www.pause.org.uk 

For this episode of Pause and Listen, we are joined by Laura and Peggy, a.k.a. Two Good Mums @TwoGoodMums. Laura and Peggy’s relationship is an exceptional story: they are the birth mother and adoptive mother of two sons CJ and RJ. Since first meeting, Laura and Peggy have worked together to build a relationship that led to regular face-to-face contact, as they felt that the usual post-adoption contact arrangements did not serve them or the boys. It’s a positive story of post-adoption contact. 

Find out more about Laura and Peggy’s adoption journey at www.twogoodmums.co.uk 

Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @LadyLaxton
Produced by Fi Gilligan 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: www.pause.org.uk 

This episode of Pause and Listen is all about the Care Review: the independent review of children’s social care in England. We are joined by Josh MacAlister @JoshMacAlister, who is leading the review. Josh is a former schoolteacher and founder of the charity Frontline.   

Earlier this year, Pause submitted our recommendations to the Care Review, with a focus on how we can better support the women whose children have been removed. Our key recommendations focus on: 

1. Consistency, stability and communication
2. Institutional learning
3. Trauma-informed support
4. Data and regulation

Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @LadyLaxton
Produced by Fi Gilligan 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: www.pause.org.uk 

Welcome back to Pause and Listen! We are so delighted to share our third series with you all. In this episode, we will be exploring trauma-informed practice: what it means in reality and what it feels like as a woman working with Pause. We are joined by Dr Naomi Sutton @DrNaomiSutton, a sexual health professional working in Rotherham, and Christina Worle @ChristinaWorle a dentist in Plymouth @PenDentalSE. Both Naomi and Christina have worked with Pause and take a trauma-informed approach to their field of practice. We will also hear from Pause Practitioner Larrah Thompson @Larrah, and Jessie, a woman supported by Pause Plymouth.  

Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @LadyLaxton
Produced by Louis Vine 
Music by Ben Jacob 
Editing by Will Jacob 

To find out more about Pause, visit: www.pause.org.uk  

TO FOLLOW 

In this episode, we are looking back at what has been a challenging year for Pause, the women we support, and the sector at large.

We are joined by two  Pause Graduates, Emma and Heidi reflecting on a year in lockdown, Katherine Sacks Jones @KatharineSJ  CEO ofBecome @Become1992,  Minesh Patel @minesh1112, Principal Policy Manager at Citizens Advice @CitizensAdvice and Sarah Dangar @SarahDangar Deputy CEO of Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse @AAFDA6.

Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @ladylaxton

Produced by Louis Vine
Music by Ben Jacob
Editing by Will Jacob