Our vision is a world where all children can thrive and reach their full potential, free from verbal abuse.
Who we are
Words Matter is a charity on a mission to improve children’s mental and physical health by ending verbal abuse by adults.
Our early relationships and experiences lay the foundations of how our brain and body get built, and shape who we become. Whether at home or at school, being surrounded by warm and loving words lays the foundations for children to grow and thrive.
Verbal abuse breaks down those foundations. It has serious, lasting effects – it can damage a child’s sense of self, their future relationships and their ability to function at home, in school, work and social situations.
It’s often hidden behind closed doors, like other forms of abuse. It’s time we brought it out into the open so that its impact on children can be understood and given the attention it needs.
How we can help
As parents, carers and people who work with children, we all get overloaded sometimes. And at times like this we need support so we can continue to have good relationships with the children in our lives. By working together to improve childhood, we all benefit – now and for years to come.
Working in partnership with experts, decision makers, non-profit and other organisations, Words Matter focuses on three areas:
Research
Everything we do is rooted in research, because we can design stronger solutions if we understand the problem better.
This includes new research, analysing existing evidence and identifying new ways of understanding the scale and impact.
Awareness
We want verbal abuse of children to be taken seriously and raise its profile as an urgent issue for action.
We raise awareness by sharing free educational resources, and through events and media campaigns.
Collaboration
We collaborate with experts, organisations, decision makers and people with lived experience, because working in partnership is the best way to help identify, develop and scale interventions that make a difference.
More support lightens the load for everyone.
