Who Speaks for the Child Who Cannot Speak?

Some of the most important voices in our society are the ones never heard. Babies who cannot speak, toddlers who cannot name what happened to them, children whose stories are written in behaviour and silence rather than words. As social workers, we are called to listen to what cannot be said, and to fight for those who cannot yet fight for themselves.

Can 1000 days change a life?

The first 1000 days of a baby’s life are the most formative they will ever experience. Every cuddle, every feed, every consistent and loving response is literally shaping the architecture of a developing brain. For vulnerable babies who have known neglect, abandonment, or trauma, those days become even more critical — and the right environment can mean the difference between survival and flourishing.

Not every child gets the same response

Some children arrive with their story intact. Others arrive in fragments. Here is what caring for those children has taught us about the gap between what the law promises and what a community must provide.