Saoirse Hayden (19) is a young adult carer to her two siblings, aged 17 and 12, who both have autism.
Her brother has several complex mental health issues and is prone to acting violently in moments of distress.
“A lot of very serious violence was directed towards me and my younger sister,” Hayden said. “Very little was done. We were always told we never met the threshold for risk in the house, even though the violence we faced was excessive.
“There were times when he tried to take my life, by his own admission; that’s what he said he was trying to do. This isn’t me trying to say he’s a bad person. I don’t think that at all. I love my brother but he received no support…