When the doors stay closed, community has to step in
I want to share something that has been sitting heavily with me, because it speaks to a much bigger problem than just one situation.
For the past while, I’ve been caring for a young neurodivergent girl who has fallen through more cracks than I can count. Like so many parents and advocates do, I tried to follow the process. I reached out to organisations, professionals, community groups, and contacts shared with me through social media. I followed up. I waited. I hoped.
Mostdoors stayed closed. Messages went unanswered. Help never arrived.
If you’ve ever tried to advocate for a neurodivergent child in crisis, this part will sound familiar. Support exists on paper. In real life, families are often left to carry it alone.
After a long and exhausting road, I have finally secured a proper bulldog of an advocate. Someone experienced, determined, and willing to see this through fully and ethically. There are costs involved, because real advocacy always comes at a price, but she is doing everything she can to keep this as affordable as possible. For the first time in a long while, I feel like things are finally moving.
I’m also incredibly grateful to Good Things Guy for listening and for telling this story publicly. Their article captures both the reality of what has happened and the wider issue of how vulnerable children are too often failed by the systems meant to protect them.
You can read it here: https://www.goodthingsguy.com/people/a-vulnerable-teen-a-closed-door-and-a-call-for-care
The fundraising link is included in the article. If you are able to donate, any amount truly helps. If you can’t, please share it far and wide. Visibility matters. Pressure matters. Stories matter. Most importantly, the child at the centre of this is doing exceptionally well. Since being in my care, she has stabilised beautifully, started her school year, and is thriving academically and emotionally. She is safe. She is learning. She is beginning to trust again. I am so, so proud of her. Neurodiversity advocacy is not theoretical. It is lived in kitchens, classrooms, late-night messages, and relentless follow-ups. It is what happens when community steps in where systems fail. If this resonates with you, please read the article, share it, and help keep this conversation going. Sometimes that is how real change starts.
