Systems of care and support for neurodivergent young girls
An Invitation to Transform
Innovation Unit is issuing an ITT (invitation to transform) systems of care and support for neurodivergent girls.
Conversations across the voluntary and statutory sector, our own living experience and that of others has told us that:
A growing number of neurodivergent young girls face significant social, cultural, emotional and educational challenges and are not getting the support they need to thrive and participate fully with their friends, family and communities.
We need to acknowledge these challenges and how they impact on mental health, wellbeing and unequal life outcomes, so we don’t miss out on what these young girls have to contribute in shaping the world around them.
The UK’s mental health, social care and education systems are unable to respond effectively to these challenges, and far too many neurodivergent young girls are missed, misunderstood or wait too long for the support a diagnosis is thought to unlock – often to be met with limited support or no support at all.
We won’t solve the problem by plugging gaps in existing systems or gatekeeping access to support. We need a radically different response which uses our collective resources in new and transformative ways.
A radically new environment for collaboration, (un)learning and innovation is needed to start to generate new and better solutions.
We need to unlock the insight and imagination of neurodivergent young girls and their families, inviting in practitioners, community partners, leaders and funders to test and grow new system responses.
