Pause is all about relationships.
Our practice model is centred around an intensive, supportive and trusting relationship between a woman and their Pause Practitioner, who work together to build strong foundations for the future.
The Pause Programme
Pause Practitioners tailor the 18-month programme of support to each individual woman’s needs and their hopes for the future across a variety of areas, from housing to improving relationships with children.
Hear from a woman about how the Pause Programme has helped her create positive changes in her life:
Our approach
Our approach is trauma-informed and designed to work with women, rather than for them. It’s based on five key ingredients, which are proven to be effective at delivering outcomes for both women and local areas:
The difference a relationship makes
Find out more about the relationship between a woman and her Pause Practitioner:
Who the programme is for
The Pause Programme works best when a woman has no children in her care, and can focus on herself and her own needs.
After a 16-week engagement phase, we ask women who want to join the Pause Programme to commit to a pause in pregnancy. If they agree, they will work with a Pause Practitioner and local sexual health service to understand more about their sexual and reproductive health.
The sexual health service will support the woman to make an informed choice about contraception, which will help her take a pause in pregnancy for 18 months.
Safeguarding
The Pause Programme involves working with others, in addition to women who have had children removed from their care: fathers, family members and friends, as well as professionals such as social services, housing, the NHS and the justice system. Working in this way, we must also ensure that the principles of safeguarding practice in relation to children and adults with complex needs remains at the heart of Pause’s work.
