Silenced: The shocking true story of a young girl too afraid to speak

Description

A family with a dark secret. A child who refuses to speak. Rosie must help her before it's too late. Nine-year-old Caitlin has a secret, but she cannot tell anyone about it. When her mother is sectioned under the Mental Health Act she and her three siblings have to go and live with her grandmother Julie and grandad Ryan. Caitlin finds her new living conditions challenging: cat poo on the carpet, rubbish everywhere and the constant stare of her grandad - she retreats more and more into herself. When foster carer Rosie Lewis meets Caitlin she knows something is deeply wrong with this little girl, who is withdrawn, afraid and refuses to speak. Rosie decides to take her in, but Caitlin's silence continues, and Rosie knows she must act. Why is Caitlin so afraid to speak? Could it be that the family has a dark secret? One that is so shocking it can no longer be hidden?

Rosie Lewis is a full-time foster carer. She has been working in this field for over a decade. Before that, she worked in the special units team in the police force. Based in northern England, Rosie writes under a pseudonym to protect the identities of the children she looks after.

'In Silenced Rosie Lewis has drafted a map of the human spirit. Rosie, a talented and empathic foster carer, acts as our guide, taking us from the depths of despair to the peaks of happiness as she tells the story of a remarkable little girl named Caitlin: how Rosie found her in awful circumstances and led her out of the darkness. Told with an innate understanding of child psychology and written with consummate skill, Silenced is a unique testament to the strength and resilience of children, and a reminder that love can save lives.' - Shane Dunphy, childcare expert and bestselling author of Wednesday's Child.