Barnardos PAUSE North East

• Pause is an innovative, dynamic and creative approach designed to address the needs of women who have experienced repeat removals of children from their care.
• Pause aims to create a space in which women can “take a pause” from the usual periods of chaos, anger, sadness and reaction to removals, in order to be supported to break the cycle, to reflect and develop new skills and responses. Pause intervenes at a point when women have no children in their care and they are not pregnant.
• Pause is a different experience for many women in that it does not define them in relation to any one issue, such as substance misuse or mental health, but instead helps them to focus on themselves to bring about positive change in their lives.
• To do this they are required to work with practitioner’s and sexual health services to take a break from pregnancies during the 18 month intervention, thereby creating a space to pause, reflect, learn and aspire.