My Full Membership makes me feel valued

"Hi, my name is Brian, and I have been a full member at Lanarkshire Carers since August 2024. At that point in time, I was struggling with my caring responsibilities for my son. It was my wife who suggested I reach out to Lanarkshire Carers, as she has been supported by them in the past.

As a full member in South Lanarkshire, I received an invitation to attend a drop-in session, to recruit the new South Lanarkshire Integrated Joint Board (IJB), Carers Representation. As part of my job, I often have to advocate for others, and I am passionate about making sure that my son's voice is heard and wanted to achieve the same for other carers in South Lanarkshire, and I saw this as a way of achieving that. 

The drop-in session was informal and friendly, and a great way to find out more about the role. By the end of the meeting, I was determined it was something I wanted to be part of and was delighted when I was offered the position.

Lanarkshire Carers and the existing IJB Carer Rep reached out to me and involved me in the plan to ease me into the new role. I worked closely with both on a structured pathway, which allowed me to shadow the existing IJB Craer Rep and attend some of the meetings to gain a better understanding of future meetings.

As I started the new role, I was worried my skill set wouldn’t match the skills needed to understand the complex minutes of the IJB. I was supported and guided by Lanarkshire Carers and assured that they would help me understand if I was struggling.

I have appreciated this support and built my confidence around this. I meet with Lanarkshire Carers before and after meetings, which helps prepare and debrief afterwards and gives me the space to share information. One of these opportunities is when I attend the Carers Connected South Lanarkshire Forum to inform them of the updates from the IJB meetings.

Initially, I didn’t think that my voice alone could represent Carers of South Lanarkshire, but I have been pleasantly surprised that I have been listened to and carers' opinions are helping to change/ shape services now and in the future. 

My full membership makes me feel valued and has given me extra confidence that carers' voices are being heard in South Lanarkshire, and moving forward, that confidence will help me advocate for other carers, locally and nationally.”

Brian| Integration Joint Board (IJB) Carers Representative for South Lanarkshire