Bouquet for the Broken
by Jacqueline Fletcher
Art as Survival | Grief in Bloom
This piece was painted during the emotional fallout of an arduous five-year battle to get my profoundly autistic children the education and support they deserved. What looks like a burst of chaotic beauty is, in truth, a portrait of burnout, desperation, and a quiet rage buried under bright and joyful petals.
The flowers represent the fragile, unseen resilience of carers (especially mothers) who are repeatedly failed by systems designed to help. Every bloom in this “bouquet” was painted in a haze of exhaustion, grief, and defiance. It's the mask we wear for the outside world- pretending we are fine, smiling- as we thrash our way through the thorns of a world that wasn't built for us.
I finished this painting the week my children started their new special needs schools: when I could finally accept they were safe... and happy. It ends on an exhale, a long-overdue sigh of relief. It holds the weight of what we’ve endured, the will to keep going, and the quiet belief that if we don’t give up, we’ll eventually be okay.
Learn More: The Fight Behind the Brushstrokes
The issues behind this artwork aren’t abstract — they’re painfully real.
The UK’s special needs education system is collapsing. Thousands of children are left without the right school, or without a school at all. Families are dragged through endless paperwork, legal threats, and emotional trauma just to get the basics. This is not rare. It’s happening every day, in every postcode.
Behind closed doors, carers are breaking. Many give up jobs, health, relationships, and stability just to hold everything together. Burnout isn’t a risk... it’s the norm. And still, the system demands more: more proof, more patience, more silence.
So many of us are pushed to the edge just to be heard. We write emails in the middle of the night, sit in meetings where no one listens, and scream into voids that should’ve held support. This platform, this painting- are what happens when we can’t stay quiet anymore.
The UK’s Crisis in Special Needs Education
The SEND system is in crisis. Thousands of children are left without the right school, denied EHCPs, or stuck on endless waiting lists. Councils are overwhelmed, delays are unlawful, and families are forced into exhausting legal battles just to access basic support. This isn’t rare: it’s happening everywhere, and it’s getting worse.
The Emotional and Financial Toll of Carer Burnout
Caring for a disabled or neurodivergent child is a full-time job) with no pay, no breaks, and little support. Carers, especially mothers, often lose careers, health, and community just to keep their children safe. The toll is relentless: exhaustion, grief, and financial hardship. Burnout isn’t a buzzword... it’s survival. And far too many of us are barely holding on.
Why So Many Families Are Pushed to the Edge Just to Be Heard
Families of disabled children are forced to fight for every basic right. To get support, we must chase paperwork, relive trauma, and prove our child’s needs again and again- often while being ignored or dismissed. Many are pushed to breaking point just trying to be believed. The system isn't broken by accident. It's built this way.