(a)

many local authorities experience recurrent care proceedings for one family where we are removing more than one child and wanted to find a solution and to support families to break the cycle;

(b)

Pause is a national programme that seeks to break the cycle.  It was started in Hackney in 2013 and now live in 20 local authorities across the country.  In Plymouth went live in September 2019;

(c)

they were using the trauma informed approach which fits with the approach that the city was taking;

(d)

this work offers women an opportunity to pause and think about how they want the direction of their life to progress.  Trevi House have been contracted to lead on this and work directly with the women;

(e)

the first cohort or community as they liked to be called has 23 women and have had no women withdrawal from that programme which was significant because these women have struggled to trust professionals and practitioners and have a range of complex difficulties in their lives that make engaging with services difficult;

(f)

they have not seen any or new care proceedings from this first cohort;

(g)

the next phase was to commence with a further 25 women which would take the numbers up to 48 with the potential of additional funding for a further 24 or 25 women.