Alongside our #NeverMoreThanOnce gallery, we are sharing the experiences of women who have completed the 18-month Pause Programme. In this blog post, Jade reflects on her first year of Getting Involved at Pause and a letter to other women who has experience of the Pause Programme.
My name is Jade, and I graduated the Pause Programme in 2023. Since graduating, I
have been involved with Pause a lot and I love the fact we have opportunities to progress
after the programme. Do not worry ladies, just because you graduate does not mean
that Pause disappears… in fact, the opposite!
Since graduating I have become a member of the Advisory Group, which consists of
monthly meetings where we come together and talk about all things Pause and add our
own valuable input. The meetings are so powerful and so much good comes out from
them every time.
Pause has wholeheartedly a place in my heart to the point I want to become a
practitioner myself and help other ladies in the future. Honestly, you need to remember
anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Pause has been my safe space, my place
to reflect and Pause have taught me there’s life after your children are removed.
For Kinship Care Week in October, I was given the amazing opportunity to write a piece
about some of the challenges around having children living in kinship care for CYP Now,
an external publication. I was so grateful to be given this opportunity to express the last
six years and for people to hear my story and for others to also learn from mine and
others with similar stories. I’ve also completed focus sessions for Pause’s podcast
episode on kinship care and I’ve shared my story with the Department for Education.
I applied to be a Trustee at Pause, but then I thought that the Pause Ambassador role
sounded right up my street! I am so excited to complete my introduction and start the
next part of my journey with Pause.
With Love From Jade
