Shine Bury St Edmunds is run by volunteers who really want you to feel safe and comfortable when you come along.

We do not have a referral form but just ask that we can have your name and a phone number so that we can contact you if we need to.

The group is open to all birth mothers, no matter how much time has passed since your child or children were permanently removed from your care. 

We do ask that you wait until the final court hearing has been held, and that the final decision has been made that your children will be placed elsewhere, before you come along.

We know that making the first steps to come to a group can be really hard and so we encourage all mothers to help to make each other feel welcome.

There is no room for judgement or blame here and we ask that you treat others with the kindness that you would wish to be shown to yourself.

Whatever the reasons, all of the birth mothers attending the group have had children removed from their care. We understand that some mothers may be very distressed and angry about this. Whilst we will do our very best to help you with these feelings, the group purpose is to offer support, rather than to blast social services.

Some people may wish to share their experiences with other group members, but some may prefer to keep these details private. No one should be made to feel that they have to share information about themselves that they do not want to. We ask that all group members respect each other’s wishes. All information shared is confidential and should not be discussed outside of the support group.