Hi. This will probably be very outing but I'm desperate for advice.
I became a Special Guardian for my niece 2 years ago when she was 16. At the time she had just left school and had severe anxiety. She is now almost 18 and in those 2 years has not been in education, training or employment. She has refused to engage with any help offered and made very little effort to do anything at all.
She rarely leaves the house, will not go into a shop, doctors, dentist etc. However, she will stay at a friend's house maybe twice a month. One her last visit they went to the gym for 2 hours. How can she be too anxious to go to the shop for some milk but go to the gym for 2 hours? It's really getting to me as when she turns 18 in a few weeks I will no longer receive the allowance which means my income will reduce by a third. I started a second job recently to try bridge the gap but it's not enough.
I have tried everything, helping in any way I can think of. An old employer of mine offered my niece a temporary job but she refused that.
What do I do here? I'm at a complete loss. I have 3 younger children and am a single parent so it's all on me and I'm exhausted. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you