The research is led by Dr Siobhan O’Dwyer, at the University of Exeter. Siobhan originally trained as a psychologist and has worked with family carers in research and the third sector for more than a decade. She also has personal experience as a carer. She will oversee every aspect of the Parent Carer Wellbeing Study and is committed to ensuring the research leads to meaningful outcomes for carers.

Dr Anna Sansom originally trained as an occupational therapist before gaining her PhD and becoming a researcher. She specialises in research on people’s experiences of receiving and delivering health care. Anna is based at the University of Exeter and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Parent Carer Wellbeing Study. She will also be conducting the interviews in the second stage of the project.

Lisa Reakes is the parent of a teenager with an Acquired Brain Injury. She mainly spends her time caring for her loved one, but also works freelance, volunteers for various charities and contributes her lived experience to research. Lisa has been involved in this project from the start, contributing by way of her personal experience, as well as helping to guide the project forward. Her intention is to raise awareness of the challenges that caring may present as well as advocating the needs of young people with disabilities, in order to encourage positive change. 

Julia Melluish is the parent and carer of her teenage son who has cerebral palsy and a learning disability, and is quadriplegic and registered blind. She was the Chair of the Torbay Parent Participant Forum for four years, and Vice Chair of Governors for Mayfield Special School for eight years. Julia is currently an active member of the Peninsula Childhood Disability Research Unit (PenCRU) Family Faculty and is very involved in Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities. Julia has been involved since the beginning of this study, using her lived experiences and networks to help inform and support all stages of the research. 

Charmaine Andrewartha is a parent carer for her teenage daughter, who has autism. She is mixed race and although originally from Scotland, now lives in rural Cornwall where isolation from family and friends is common and access to services is limited. To overcome this isolation, she regularly attends conferences in the South West and Scotland to learn more about autism, including new initiatives, latest research, and best practice in education and support. She also completed a Master’s Degree that included interviewing girls with autism and their parents in the South West. Charmaine has been involved since the beginning of this study, sharing her experiences and helping the researchers develop materials that are suitable for parent carers. 

Anna Walker is the parent and carer of a daughter and two sons. Her daughter has a range of complex needs and requires round-the-clock care. One of her sons has a long-term mental health condition. Over the last 20 years Anna has worked with policy makers, service providers and the voluntary sector to ensure disabled children and their families receive timely access to quality services and support, particularly at key times of stress and change in their lives. Anna continues to train and support many families across the country and is passionate about helping build resilience within the whole family. Anna has been involved since the beginning of the study, using her experience to shape the research and helping connect the researchers with parent carers across the UK. 

Dr Tom Slater is a former social worker, who specialises in research about child welfare and suicide prevention. He is a currently a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University and has previously worked for the NSPCC, ChildLine and as a local authority social worker. Tom’s role in the Parent Carer Wellbeing Study is to monitor and promote the safety and wellbeing of our participants and team members. 

Dr Becky Mars is a psychologist working in the suicide and self-harm (SASH) research group at the University of Bristol. Her research focuses on understanding the development of suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and how these thoughts and behaviours change over time. Becky’s role in the Parent Carer Wellbeing study is to help analyse the survey data. 

Dr Lucy Biddle is a social scientist based at Bristol University Medical School. She conducts mental health research and specialises in suicide prevention. Lucy’s role in the Parent Carer Wellbeing Study is to design the interview questions and analyse the interview data

Dr Astrid Janssens has a background in psychology and anthropology and is based at the University of Southern Denmark (having previously worked at the University of Exeter, with Dr O’Dwyer, on other carer studies). Her research aims to improve the wellbeing of patients and carers and their experiences of the health care system. She is passionate about and advocates for health research for and with service users and relatives, and develops research ideas in partnership with patients and relatives that address their unanswered questions and uncertainties. Astrid’s role in the Parent Carer Wellbeing Study is to facilitate the involvement of carers and partner organisations, design the interview questions, and analyse the interview data.