The Wondering Wattle

13/02/2026

South Australia has passed landmark laws to criminalise Coercive Control.

This is EXCELLENT news.

Coercive Control is "a repeated pattern of behaviours used to dominate, restrict, and strip someone of their freedom."

Coercive control doesn’t always look like “violence”. It doesn't leave visible injuries. But it does harm. And it Is now a crime

Whilst this new law is welcomed for those in intimate relationships, the reach is far, far wider.

This law also matters for people with disability because control can be hidden inside “care” or “help”, too, from family, friends or formal supports.

Coercive Control can look like:
🔐 isolating someone
💵 controlling money
🔎 monitoring movements/communications
👙dictating what a pearson wears
🍕restricting food
🗣️ using intimidation or threats
💊 controlling medication, mobility aids
👎 denying the supports and services of someone's choosing
🚫 restricting contact with friends/family/advocates
🚗 controlling transport or access to appointments
📱dictating or surveilling phone/device access

Threats like:
🫵🏻 “I’ll cancel your support / tell people you can’t cope”
🫵🏻 "If you don't shower today you won't be able to see your friends"
🫵🏻 "You have to accept this friend request so we can see what you're posting on social media".

Whilst some people with disabilities benefit from supports and scaffolds to ensure their safety, there are very strict regulations in law, to ensure freedoms are not breached.

Within NDIS there are safeguards for ensuring choice and autonomy for participants and, beyond NDIS, there are also protections for people with disabilities.

Every human has the right to safety, choice, control, and support that promotes freedom, not reduces or removes it.

💛

06/02/2026

Exciting news from The Wondering Wattle 🌿✨

Introducing TWW Growth & Learning - training, workshops and practical resources that help people, providers, participants and parents 'know better to do better' by the humans they support.

Leading this new service stream is Charlie (he/him), our Sexuality, Gender & Disability Training Lead. Charlie brings lived experience, sector wisdom, and a deeply trauma-informed, neuro-affirming approach to everything he builds.

Charlie is developing our first workshop for allied health providers on best practice in supporting transgender and gender diverse people with disability, and Charlie is seeking input via a short, anonymous survey.

Your voice will help shape training that’s safer, more respectful, and genuinely useful in the real world. This starts with hearing from the real world so, please feel free to share amongst your networks and communities - the more voices, the deeper the understanding.

So, if you’re:

✅ trans or gender diverse and connected to the NDIS (or trying to be), or

✅ a carer/support person of a trans or gender diverse person, or

✅ an NDIS provider / allied health professional,

we’d love you to contribute (only what feels safe to share) to Charlie's survey towards training development

📩 Questions or access needs? Email Charlie: charlie@wonderingwattle.com.au

Survey link: https://forms.office.com/r/rSU9HGNz5x

01/02/2026

Valé Leon and Otis Clune 💜

27/01/2026

Shout out to the parents, care-givers, and others who are supporting kiddos to transition back into school. For some it's a breeze, for many with disabilities it's somewhere between 'tough to get through the day' and 'just not gonna happen'.

We see you.
We support you.
We hear you.

If you're in struggle town with getting your kiddo's school to undertand their obligations (under law) to provide reasonable adjustments then please reach out - we may not have all the knowledge but across our team we have some really strong understanding (and some pretty gruff but fair voices to add alongside yours if you aren't feeling heard!)

💛

Let’s Talk About “School Can’t” — The Part Nobody Sees

Every time I write about school can’t, parents message me in tears, not because they’ve failed, but because someone finally put words to their lived reality.

School can’t is not:
✘ defiance
✘ manipulation
✘ entitlement
✘ “picking and choosing”
✘ a parenting issue

School can’t is a nervous system response.
It is the body saying, “I have reached my limit.”

And once you see it through that lens, the entire story changes.

What school can’t actually looks like?
It’s the child who wants to go but physically can’t get out of bed.
It’s the one who gets dressed, then collapses in tears by the door.
It’s the teen who tries to walk through the gate but freezes.
It’s the child who holds it together all day, then melts down the moment they get home.
It’s headaches, nausea, shutdowns, irritability, panic, overwhelm.
It’s the child who can’t explain why, because they don’t know either.

It’s a body-level NO, not a behaviour-level no.

Why school can’t happens (especially for PDAers):
✔️ Constant demands from the moment they wake
✔️ Transitions, unpredictability, noise, expectations
✔️ Being evaluated all day long
✔️ Social pressure + masking
✔️ Loss of autonomy
✔️ Executive functioning overload
✔️ Sensory overwhelm
✔️ Feeling misunderstood or unsafe
✔️ Burnout that nobody knew was building

School can’t usually arrives after years of coping, pushing, masking, trying, and absorbing more than their nervous system could hold.

The hardest part for parents:
It looks invisible to the outside world.
You hear things like:
“Just make them go.”
“They need resilience.”
“You’re enabling this.”
“They’ll fall behind.”
“Everyone has to go to school.”

But your child isn’t fighting school.
They’re fighting their nervous system.

And you’re the one holding it all, the guilt, the pressure, the fear, the judgment, the unknown future.

What actually helps?

Reduce pressure, not increase it
Force makes school can’t worse, not better.

Create safety first
No child learns, copes, or connects in fight-or-flight.

Look for early warning signs
Irritability, avoidance, shutdowns, lateness, tummy aches, school refusal mornings, these are communication.

Explore alternative pathways
Part-time loads, online learning, interest-led education, TAFE, homeschooling, flexible timetables, all valid.

Support recovery from burnout
Rest is not giving up.
Rest is the bridge back to stability.

Use collaboration, not compliance
“What would make school feel safer?”
“What’s the hardest part of the day?”
“How can we work together?”

Know that this isn’t always permanent
Children who experience school can’t can thrive. just not under pressure.

And to the families living this:
You’re not failing.
You’re not imagining it.
You’re not creating the problem.
You’re witnessing your child hit a limit that most people never see
and you’re choosing compassion over force.

That makes you a safe parent, not an enabling one.

25/01/2026

🔥 40°C+ days aren’t “just uncomfortable” - they can be genuinely dangerous, especially for people living with disability.

•

A quick check-in can save a life. What we can ALL do:

✅ Choose 2–3 people to check on this week

✅ Check in twice a day (morning + late afternoon)

✅ Ask simple questions:
“Have you had water today?”
“Is your place cool enough?”
“Do you need help getting to air-con?”
“Do you have ice, a fan, or cool cloths?”

✅ Offer practical help:
drop off cold water / ice
help set up a fan
offer a lift to a cool place
prepare a light salad

Community + Connection goes a long way to helping keep people safe.

💛

24/01/2026

💛 Helping Humans Thrive sometimes looks like a really good handover.

One of the greatest privileges in our work is walking alongside people as they build steadier, safer, more empowered lives. And sometimes, that journey includes a goodbye; not because our support isn’t needed, but because the next right step is a new Support Coordinator who’s more local, more specialised, or simply better placed for what’s next.

At The Wondering Wattle, we’re not in the business of "holding on" or “keeping" participants We’re here for outcomes. We’re here for dignity, choice, continuity, and real-world progress.

So when it’s time for a transition, we do it the same way we do everything:
✅ thoughtfully
✅ collaboratively
✅ with a warm, thorough handover
✅ and with a commitment to connecting you with excellent supports. Every single time.

Because thriving isn’t about who “has” the referral.It’s about ensuring each human has the right people around them, at the right time, in the right way. 🌿

To the families and participants who’ve trusted us (and to the brilliant new SCs we get to link them with) -thank you. We’ll always champion what matters most: Helping Humans Thrive.

If you’re looking for Support Coordination (or you’re wondering if a change could better support your goals), reach out. We’re here to support you to find the best-fit pathway forward....even if it means eventually saying good-bye.

💛

E: People@wonderingwattle.com.au
P: 1300 966 337

16/01/2026

13/01/2026

Over the past few weeks, the Wondering Wattle team has taken staggered leave to balance rest whilst also minimising disruption to the everyday lives for people we support coordinate with.

We did this mindfully and intentionally, because, well, 'your disability doesn't take a holiday even if your SC does'.**

The last few of our team are finishing their leave this week, and we are all back “on the tools” from Monday, 19 January.

As a Team we want to thank you for your grace, patience, understanding, and support as we rested, reset and now prepare for another year of excellence in Helping Humans Thrive.

Brave is kind
Meryl
💛

**This is a key reasons why we have our unique POD Model of support coordination - where every participant has TWO people who know your story, support and access needs; so if one's absent, there's still someone to support you.

10/01/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday, Juliet! 🎉

Today we’re celebrating our very own Juliet — the brains, the backbone, and Meryl’s magical Diary Fairy 🧚‍♀️✨

Juliet is the kind of person you want behind the scenes when things are busy, messy, and moving fast - she brings order without stripping away the humanity, calm amidst the chaos.

Jule's is fiercely loyal, deeply committed to the process, and always actively learning and upskilling; not because she has to, but because she genuinely cares about getting it right.

Add to that Jule's thoroughness (the kind that catches the detail before it becomes a problem), and her unwavering commitment to bringing her best to The Wondering Wattle… and you’ve got someone truly special.

A few of our favourite loves about our Jules:
💚 Next-level smarts + strategic thinking
💚 The ultimate Diary Fairy magic (chaos → calm)
💚 Human-centred design lens in everything she touches
💚 Loyal, values-led, and constantly learning
💚 Thorough, thoughtful, and always brings her best

We love, love, love having you on our team, Jules — and we’re so grateful for the heart, brains, and care you bring every single day. 💛✨

23/12/2025

For our southern NT friends and those passing through, skip the usual (boring) radio stations and be sure to tune in to 8CCC Community Radio 102.1fm

You'll enjoy quality local DJs broadcasting anime, sports and rock music, amongst other great topics; all hosted by "many voices (on) one frequency" to reflect the diversity and whole of community in Alice Springs.

💛

17/12/2025

🌿Going Gently🌿

It's been a rough few days since Sunday.

Community violence, in any form, by any perpetrator, in any circumstance is destabilising and distressing. For those in our community with additional vulnerabilities, be they age, disability, culture, connection it's even scarier.

I have struggled to manage the shifting algorithm in my social media feed and the impact is tangible on my own mental health. It's a heaviness and hypervigilance feeling. I imagine it's been similarly tough for you, too?

So, when I happened across this post from Sesame Street it offered a reminder that gentleness, kindness and support is how we are all going to manage to navigate this, and other community violence experiences which happen to, around and against those we love.

Watch.
Pause.
Reflect.
And then commit to going gently with ourselves and with others around us - its in our together that we will find the way through.

Brave is kind (and a little sad right now)
Meryl
💛

Remember: Lifeline 13 11 14 is a call, or text 0477 13 11 14, away if it's getting too tricky for you right now.