Hi readers, I’m Susie, founder of Walk Together. I wanted to give a little back story to help you understand what has driven me to start this blog and resource page. First and foremost, I have an incredibly deep-rooted connection with Adoption. Not only am I adopted myself, but I have an adopted son too. Adoption for me is part of the fabric of my being, and has led the direction of many of my life choices.

 

In my personal experience, being adopted in many ways fueled and motivated my desire to succeed. I have always exhibited a real need for independence and control, born from the emotional fractures from early separation from my primary carer. Despite struggling with academic application, I became a successful business owner in my 20s and have dipped my toes in many different ventures and interests over the years.

 

I decided to adopt my son Cayden at X years old because X. This journey has been beautiful, chaotic and tumultuous. Cayden has neurodevelopmental conditions such as ASD comorbid with ADHD and ODD that have impinged on his educational progress and means he stands out from others. Our journey through the system have led to my legal battle with the Local Authority who, despite his EHCP, were not meeting his needs.

 

I have made it my mission to fight on his behalf for him and for all the reasons that I adopted him for, to give him the opportunity to have a future that would be different to his past. I want to raise more awareness of the impact of local authorities and social services when they fail to meet the needs of an adopted child. Let's do this together. Let's walk together.