Brigid is a parent carer and social work graduate whose work is rooted in over four decades of lived experience. She was a full-time parent carer to her son Sam, who has Down syndrome and autism, for 46 years until the age of 65. Throughout that time, she navigated complex systems of health and social care, always striving to secure the right support while ensuring Sam’s life was shaped by dignity, opportunity and belonging.
Motivated by a determination to better understand, and ultimately influence the systems her family relied upon, she completed a degree in Social Work while caring for Sam. This blending of lived and professional experience gave her both insight and confidence to challenge practice, advocate for rights-based approaches and promote person-centred support.
When Sam moved into his home with support, she began her first paid role with Cornwall Partners in Policy Making. There, she works alongside people with lived experience, families, practitioners, and commissioners to influence policy and strengthen local services. Her work champions genuine co-production, ensuring that people and families are equal partners in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.
She is particularly interested in community-based support, family leadership and approaches that enable people with learning disabilities and autism to live as full citizens. Her contribution is grounded in the belief that lived experience is a powerful form of expertise and that sustainable change happens when those most affected are at the centre of decision-making.
