Adoption - Pause – Creating Space for Change

We support women to maintain contact with their children after adoption, which research shows can have a positive impact on children’s wellbeing and development. Our work identifies key areas of practice that have, or could, make significant difference to maintaining these relationships.

Our publications

Exploring birth mothers’ experiences of post-adoption contact (2025)

This report explores birth mothers’ experiences of maintaining contact after adoption, and key areas of practice that make a tangible difference to maintaining these relationships.

Knowing they’re OK (2020)

This report examines how parent-child relationships are maintained and facilitated through contact arrangements following care proceedings, and what needs to improve.

Time to deliver (2021)

This report sets out our recommendations for improving the letter box contact system in England and Wales, which is currently rife with challenges.

Learning from practice: Relationships with children (2024)

This short overview shares our reflections and learnings on the relationships women working with Pause have with their children, including how Pause practitioners support women to build, maintain and improve their relationships with their children.

Our podcast episodes

Relationships with children

In this episode we hear from Vanessa and Gemma, two women working with Pause, about their experience of contact with their children and why the system in the UK needs to improve.

Time to deliver: letterbox contact

In this episode, we hear from Liz, who worked with Pause Hackney, and discuss letterbox contact, an indirect form of contact where adoptive and birth families exchange letters, often once a year.