Since Pause’s beginnings, Sophie has been the driver and guardian of the Pause vision, ensuring that practice remains at the heart of the organisation.
She is a highly experienced independent advisor on child protection and safeguarding, providing expertise to central government and local authorities across the country, and continues to act as an advisor to Pause, and provide mentoring and advice to new innovations and their founders.
Sophie has driven Pause from a single pilot organisation to a national organisation first as Founding Chief Executive and then as Founder & Chair. During this time, she has brought in over £13 million from across Government, Big Lottery, trusts, foundations and philanthropy, which has been disseminated to partners to establish Pause Practices in new areas. These funds have also enabled the programme to scale from one to 24 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2021.
On stepping down as Chair in 2019, the board of trustees asked Sophie to continue in a formal Founder role to act as a spokesperson for Pause, alongside providing advice as required and undertaking regular visits to new and current Pause Practices, spending time with practitioners, women who work with Pause and local senior leaders to ensure integrity and fidelity to the Pause model alongside acting as an ambassador for Pause.