Welcome to Pause and Listen
Pause and Listen aims to amplify the voices and experiences of women who no longer have children in their care. In each episode, we talk about an issue that affects their lives. We will be joined by women, professionals, and sector experts to discuss the issues they face, reflect on their experience, and think about how we can work together to make things better. It is time to Take a Pause and Listen!
*Trigger warning* some podcast episodes discuss issues that may cause distress to some including domestic abuse and mental health issues.
Season four
Episode 1: #TimeToDeliver goes to Downing Street
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 The system is outdated, complicated and does not always lead to long-lasting, meaningful relationships.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
Season three
Episode 1: Trauma-Informed Practice
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
Episode 2: An Interview with Josh MacAlister, Chair of the Care Review
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
Episode 3: Two Good Mums
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
Season two
Episode 1: Exploring domestic abuse
In this extended podcast episode, to coincide with the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, we are discussing domestic abuse and highlighting less visible forms of abuse. We are joined by Teresa Parker, Head of Media Relations & Communications at Women’s Aid and Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, Founder and Director Surviving Economic Abuse and will hear from two women working with Pause about their experience of domestic abuse.
If you need support or are affected by any issues raised you can get support below:
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/
Joined by two women working with Pause, Teresa Parker, Head of Media Relations & Communications at Women’s Aid @Teresa_PS and Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, Founder and Director Surviving Economic Abuse @nicolajanesharp
Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @ladylaxton
Produced by Louis Vine
Music by Ben Jacob
Editing by Will Jacob
Episode 2: Data and women’s deaths – An unacceptable reality
In this episode, as part of our work during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, we talk about something a bit different, and difficult. We talk about the premature deaths of women who’ve had more than one child removed from their care. The episode explores how Pause scoping exercises started finding women who had had more than one child removed who had died before we were able to offer them support. Most of these women died prematurely. We ask why they died and what can be done about it to make sure women aren’t dying in the future.
We hear from Jules Hillers, CEO of Pause @rosylight, Ellen Marks, Director of Practice and Learning at Pause @PauseEllen Anna Smith, CEO of One25 @One25Charity and Helen Daniel, National Scoping Lead at Pause @helendaniel4. Although we don’t have all the answers this episode starts the conversation about why women are dying prematurely and what can be done about it.
Find out more about One25 and their work on their website at www.one25.org.uk.
This episode is dedicated to those 233 women who have died, as well as all the women who have died who were known to Pause Practices across the UK.
Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @ladylaxton
Produced by Louis Vine
Music by Ben Jacob
Editing by Will Jacob
Episode 3: 2020 vision – a year in review
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, Katharine Sacks-Jones @KatharineSJ CEO of Become @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
Season one
Episode 1: The difference a relationship makes
In the first ever Pause Podcast episode, we hear from Beth (not her real name), a woman working with Pause and her practitioner about the difference positive relationships can have. From building trust, working together and being creative – it is all about relationships and taking the time to Pause and Listen.
Joined by ‘Beth’ a woman working with Pause and Felica Cunningham, Pause Practitioner at Pause Greenwich
Hosted by Clare Laxton. Follow @ladylaxton
Produced by Louis Vine
Music by Ben Jacob
Editing by Will Jacob
Episode 2: 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 of contact in the UK needs to change for the better. We are also joined by Lisa Harker, Director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory talking about what we already know needs to change and what we can learn about relationships with children from the COVID-19 experience.
Joined by Vanessa and Gemma, women working with Pause and Lisa Harker, Director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. Follow @lisa_harker
Hosted by Clare Laxton
Produced by Louis Vine
Music by Ben Jacob
Editing by Will Jacob
Episode 3: Things are different now
In the last of our podcast miniseries, we are joined by clinical psychologist, trainer, and author, Karen Treisman and Pause Chief Executive, Jules Hillier. We will be reflecting on the lockdown experience, creativity, and wellbeing during the pandemic, as well as thinking about what things we might not want to go back to ‘normal’. You will also have the chance to hear poetry created by women and practitioners during lockdown.
Joined by Karen Treisman clinical psychologist, trainer, and author. Follow @dr_treisman and Jules Hillier, Chief Executive of Pause. Follow @rosylight.
Hosted by Clare Laxton
Produced by Louis Vine
Music by Ben Jacob
Editing by Will Jacob