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.

There's a kind of disbelief when you're a middle-aged woman from northwest Ireland who believes she can build tech that will solve a complex problem. Not techy. Not an executive. But someone who lived the problem and dared to put herself out there to see if there could be a better way. From kitchen table prototypes to real user testing, this is the story of moving through doubt to design by listening - and why sometimes the person who understands the problem best is the one no one expected to lead the solution.

Startup jargon vs reality check. What do buzzwords like "innovation" and "pivot" actually mean when you're building something that matters? Plus how inCharge evolved from a budgeting tool to something completely different - through one quiet, human pivot.

This week, I’d like to introduce you to Jacqui. Jacqui was the first person to sign up to test the App from a family's perspective – long before there was anything to test.

The journey to development: Founder experts say "fail fast." That’s fine — if you can afford to fail. Failure isn’t an option — not because I can’t risk it, but because families like mine still need this. After 4.5 years, over 25 funding applications, and mostly self-funded development, we’re finally on the cusp of delivering something transformational. And that’s worth everything.