Like victims and survivors, the worker expresses frustration that, after decades of investigations and political debate, many of the fundamental questions remain unanswered.
Her reflections also challenge the way the public and political conversation has evolved.
“It wasn’t only white girls who were abused. Asian girls were abused too,” she says.
Many, she believes, never disclosed what had happened because of shame, honour and fear of bringing disgrace on their families.
“As time has gone on, the public narrative has become focused in one direction, but victims came from different backgrounds. At the heart of all this, victims and survivors still aren’t talked about enough.”
She also rejects the suggestion that nobody tried to raise concerns.
“There were people within the community trying to raise concerns. We needed support, protection and investment to do that safely. We didn’t have it.”
Those reflections raise a broader question about what Baroness Longfield’s inquiry is really there to achieve.
It is not simply about establishing who failed decades ago.
It is about understanding why warning signs went unheeded, why some victims were apparently heard, albeit belatedly, while others were not, and whether the institutions responsible for protecting vulnerable children are now capable of doing that job.
The inquiry has promised to place victims and survivors at the centre of its work.
For the “disappeared” victims this former social worker still supports decades later, and for the brave survivors still campaigning for justice, that promise is about more than accountability.
It is about finally being seen, believed and heard.
“There will be women watching this inquiry unfold now on the news and they’ll be thinking ‘that happened to me too, but nobody’s asking me how I feel’,” she says.
For this former social worker, that is now the question that matters most.
Whether Baroness Longfield’s inquiry can finally give a voice not only to those whose experiences came to define this scandal, but also to those whose stories were never heard.
