Before I share individual experiences, I want to set context. Not emotion.Not detail.Simply the timeline those experiences grew inside. I was born in 1981.By the end of 2025, social services will have been present in my life — directly or indirectly — for 44 years.Of those years, 36 involved active, known involvement.A further 9 involved… Continue reading Before the Stories: Context
Tag: family life
The Uneven Weight of a Child’s Voice
Today landed heavy. It reminded me how uneven “the voice of the child” can feel in practice, and how different the response looks depending on which child is speaking. One child expresses a viewand suddenly everything shifts, plans rearranged, professionals mobilised,families reshaping their day around a single sentence. Another child has been saying the same… Continue reading The Uneven Weight of a Child’s Voice
When the Truth Isn’t Enough: A Mother’s Story
Disclaimer: This blog is based on my lived experience. All statements reflect documented events, personal records, professional communications, and my own interpretation of what has taken place. Where possible, I have retained evidence to support my account. This post is not intended to name individuals or violate court orders, but to raise awareness of the… Continue reading When the Truth Isn’t Enough: A Mother’s Story
Standing in the Storm – Finding Strength Through Faith
There hasn’t been a time in my life when I haven’t been tangled up with social services or the family courts. It’s like a shadow that never leaves—always there, always watching, always controlling. Just when you think you’ve escaped, they find another way to pull you back in.I’ve seen the darkest corners of myself during… Continue reading Standing in the Storm – Finding Strength Through Faith
The Postcode Lottery of Child Protection: How Cornwall Council Is Failing Families
My Story My children have been placed in foster homes by Cornwall Council. Two of them now need to be moved — but there are no suitable placements available in Cornwall, especially for one child who has special educational needs (SEN), and another who is almost 16 years old. They could be sent anywhere in… Continue reading The Postcode Lottery of Child Protection: How Cornwall Council Is Failing Families
They Say They Know Best—But They Never Ask What I Need
I want to go home.But they won’t let me. My voice feels too small for them to hear. My words, my wishes, my truth—it all gets brushed aside like it never mattered. Like I don’t matter. They say they know what’s best for me.They make decisions in boardrooms, in courtrooms, behind closed doors—while I’m left… Continue reading They Say They Know Best—But They Never Ask What I Need
The System Failed Me First
As a child, I suffered in silence. No one came to save me. No one looked closely enough. No one listened when I needed them to. I carried bruises you couldn’t see and wounds that never had the chance to heal. I did what so many children do—I survived the best I could with what… Continue reading The System Failed Me First
The Girl Speaks – Breaking the Silence
When I came into this world many years ago, I wasn’t born into love.Not into safety, not into warmth.I was born to a woman whose priorities lay elsewhere. By the time I was barely a year old, I was already on the radar of social services, marked down under neglect, poor parenting. A file opened.… Continue reading The Girl Speaks – Breaking the Silence
thegirlspeaks.uk 