I found myself back in the orthopaedic ward – but this time as the patient, not Georgia's mum. What I've learned is that founders and carers have more in common than we realise. Both become very practiced at carrying on until life insists we pause. For now, learning to accept care rather than organise it is the lesson.

I just caught up with Sarah Kelliher, UX designer with Xwerx and our design partner on inCharge, to take a first look at the newly enhanced personal profile in the app. Not only has that process been a translation of my research, lived and learned experiences, Sarah has carefully, thoughtfully and creatively translated people’s insights into intuitive and accessible designs.

Friday started like any other day. Then Georgia took a tumble, and everything shifted. What happened next – the ambulance ride, the hospital, the fractures, the surgery ahead – taught me something about emergency services, about our community, and about why the tools families use to share information matter more than we realise.

In 2020, during lockdown, my family and I took a trip to Rathlin Island. We went to sail – something accessible for all of us, where everyone belongs. During a solitary walk along the shore, with nothing but the sound of the sea and my thoughts, an idea was born.

This is the story of how inCharge started.

inCharge partnered with Gobby, a lived-experience research tool, to gather real insights from the people who make self-directed supports actually work: family members, paid supporters, and wider support teams. Here’s what we found.

January is normally a slow month for me. Over the years of working with inCharge, I've learned to accept that and lean into it - catching up on things I didn't get to, planning ahead, taking stock. But wow, this month has been completely different. Local authorities are reaching out. Co-design sessions are bringing the person's view to life. There's a definite appetite for doing things differently.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, many families managing self-directed care were already holding their breath: payroll dates, holiday pay, whether there would be enough cover. Christmas came and went, but the strain didn't lift. Snow, sickness, and staff shortages have made visible how fragile the system has become. When the safety net frays.

There's nothing like it when people trust you enough to share their truth. This is what real co-design looks like - and why we never take that trust for granted.

Join us in 2026. We're hosting webinars for families managing self-directed care, Personal Assistants, and local authority leaders. Come see inCharge in action, ask questions, and be part of the conversation.

Families are the experts. We're the ones providing 24/7 care, 365 days a year. We're the ones navigating systems, learning legislation, and quietly shouldering the lion's share of support - often because there's no other choice.

Yet that expertise is rarely acknowledged. And when it comes to planning for the future, families are often left to figure it out alone.

What does a good life look like for someone you love? And who gets to decide?

These questions sat at the heart of an event I attended recently called Paving Our Path Together.

When you're a parent carer, you don't just coordinate care - you coordinate everything. Appointments, payroll, safeguarding, medication, meals, emergencies. All whilst trying to show up at work as a professional, not "just" a carer. So when I joined a webinar that actually named this reality, it felt like someone had finally turned the lights on. In this blog I reflect on how employers can better support staff with caring responsibilities.

It's the question every parent asks but rarely wants to say out loud: What happens to my disabled son or daughter if something happens to me?

Recently, this question has been coming up more and more in my conversations with families. And I'm realising we all share the same fear - but very few of us know what to actually do about it.

So what’s the right thing to do?

Today marks a small win with a big story behind it: our latest full regression test came back with zero errors. Not a single one. The invisible hard work that makes care technology simply work - and why it matters.

We are thrilled to announce that inCharge has secured funding through the Inishowen Development Partnership’s LEADER Programme to co-design the supported person’s view and access to the inCharge App — a major step in placing the individual truly at the centre of person-centred care. 

Social Care Future convenors took a risk, announcing they were changing the format of a tried, tested and much loved event. The new format reflected the urgency required for radical change in social care, and was designed for real collaboration - working together on the day and taking action beyond it. And it paid off brilliantly!

A thank you letter from Karen McCormick to friends of inCharge.

As the launch of inCharge inches closer—it feels like forever, but we’re finally counting down the days—I’ve been reflecting on the people and the goodwill that have quietly powered this journey. I want to share one story that captures just how much difference kindness can make.

September is here and the response to our national rollout announcement has been overwhelming - in the best possible way. Today, I want to pull back the curtain a bit more and share some of the lessons that brought us to this moment. Partly because people have asked, but honestly, partly because putting it all down might help settle these launch butterflies.

After 3.5 years of research, 1.5 years of development, and six months of live family pilots, inCharge today announced the national rollout of its pioneering self-directed care platform.