Sarah Wood
Position: Family carer expert
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I am Sarah Wood, I live in York and grew up there. I have previously been published under my writing name of Anna Jacob. I am a Mum and a Grandma. My experience as a parent carer has led to me becoming a Person centred planning facilitator, a Partner in policy making, a Citizen leader and employed as a Family carer expert with self direct. I am also part of a group called Lives unlimited, we are working towards creating support circles for local residents with disabilities and their families. Over the last year I have been part of the group of people brought together by the Department of Health to develop the common national Resource Allocation System. My career background is in nursing, which I studied at York University. I am passionate about inclusion and Self-Directed Support. I attend conferences and training days to share our family’s story. I have a son with Autism/ learning difficulties who is in receipt of an Individualised Budget. We like to discover new, imaginitive ways to use his money on realising his dreams and contributing to life in his community. We lived with a traditional care package for over fifteen years, now we know the difference that Self-Directed Support can make to people, lives and communities: I feel like I cannot sleep until I have shared this chance with others.