I  was at an event a few weeks ago where young people powerfully shared their experiences of navigating the health and education system for support with neurodiverse conditions. When reflecting on her time during school, it struck a chord with me when one young person shared: “they noticed my grades slipping but not my smile”.

She was speaking of the missed opportunities to intervene early, and it was only until the ‘measured metric’ in this case GCSEs were negatively impacted that someone asked what support was needed, by which time sadly it was too late. This is a common theme that is often heard, and I believe to deliver reform in an integrated way, we must begin by truly listening to the people most impacted by late intervention. Sometimes all it takes is for one person to notice that additional support may be needed to help a child reach their potential. We must find the courage to lead in a meaningful way that enables co-design of holistic solutions with communities as equal partners.