EXPIERENCE: While I have over two years of formal experience as a Disability Support Worker, I also bring have extensive lived experience supporting my own family. As a mother to a teenage daughter with complex support needs, as well as another daughter with Autism and ADHD, I have developed a deep understanding of the realities families face every day. My experience includes PEG feeding, personal care, hoisting and manual handling, medication support, emotional regulation, advocacy, and navigating complex health and disability systems. This journey has equipped me with patience, resilience, empathy, and the ability to remain calm and solution-focused in challenging situations. It has also given me firsthand insight into the importance of person-centred care, preserving dignity, promoting independence, and working collaboratively with families and multidisciplinary teams. Alongside my lived experience, I have developed extensive knowledge of supporting people experiencing complex mental health challenges, including bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD), anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional dysregulation, and suicidal thoughts or behaviours. I understand the importance of providing a safe, non-judgemental environment where individuals feel heard, respected, and supported. My approach focuses on building trust, recognising early warning signs of declining mental health, responding calmly during times of crisis, encouraging positive coping strategies, and working alongside participants and their support networks to promote stability, safety, and recovery. I recognise that every person’s mental health journey is unique and aim to provide consistent, compassionate support that builds hope, confidence, independence, and self-worth. By combining my lived and professional experience, I deliver respectful, person-centred support that empowers participants to work towards meaningful and fulfilling lives.