After 8 years as Chair of the Suffolk Family Carers Board of Trustees, Janet Dillaway formally stepped down at our recent AGM. The reins have now passed to Susan Brooks, who previously held the role of Vice Chair. Susan will be the focus of our “Meet the Team” feature in January.
Kirsten Alderson, CEO of Suffolk Family Carers, said “Suffolk Family Carers has been privileged to have had Janet as Chair of Trustees. She has helped develop our organisation during a period of significant change, ensuring we remain focused on family carers, our core values and partnerships. She leaves us a much stronger organisation, and at the forefront of support for family carers in the modern age”.
Janet was first appointed to the Suffolk Family Carers Board of Trustees in February 2012, taking on the role of Vice Chair at the AGM later that year. A year later, in November 2013, she was appointed to the role of Chair of Trustees.
During her tenure, Janet has always ensured that we keep family carers at the heart of everything we do, with her first year seeing our “8 days a week appeal”, in partnership with BBC Radio Suffolk. This appeal helped fund the purchase of our first community vehicle. Since then, she has led us through both our 25th and 30th anniversary celebrations, as well as the opening of our Claydon drop in centre, our move to digital support, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic.
Janet’s focus and dedication has helped the organisation develop and expand its partnerships across Suffolk, with over 115 at last count. Key to these are Suffolk County Council and the local NHS providers, and we wish to thank her for her contribution in helping us secure a 5 year contract for services at the start of 2021.
Away from her focus on family carers and partners, Janet has ensured we have gone from strength to strength as an organisation, enhancing our board of trustees, developing our management team and working with staff and volunteers to ensure our focus on innovation for family carers remains. It is this culture of innovation and partnership that led Suffolk Family Carers to be awarded the GSK/ Kings Fund IMPACT award in 2019, ahead of 370 national competitors.
