Dementia Carers Count is working for a world where carers are no longer invisible but feel valued, supported, and heard.
We provide specialist advice and consultancy support to care professionals and personalised support services to dementia carers. We’re here to make sure carers get the right information and support as soon as they want it, and for as long as they need it.
Our expertise is in supporting the person caring for someone with dementia. We support families across the UK, and we know that demand is growing.
Too many unpaid carers look after family and friends with little recognition or respite. They face daily and ever changing challenges, whilst coping with unimaginable changes to their relationships.
We are here to help.
Meet the team
Frances Lawrence
Frances has worked in the charity sector since 2007. With a background in fundraising, she has worked for several leading national charities, including The Prince’s Trust, NSPCC, Girlguiding and, most recently, Young Women’s Trust. She is passionate about social change and has undertaken a number of grueling fundraising challenges, including the Brighton Marathon, a stair climb and a five day trek across the Sahara to raise significant funds for charity.
As a former dementia carer, she is determined to make sure that carers have access to the support they need.
Steve Dubbins
Steve’s background is in social policy and anti-poverty work. He has over 20 years’ experience in co-designing, delivering and managing specialist advice and support services across social care, health and the third sector. Steve is also an experienced project and programme manager, and most recently worked at Macmillan Cancer Support, where he was Head of Impact.
Steve has personal experience of caring and is passionate about ensuring carers have their practical, emotional and financial needs met.
Louise Prosser
Louise is a Chartered Accountant who has been working in the voluntary sector since 2003. Previous roles include providing training and support to local charities and community groups focussed on finance, governance and charity law. She has also worked as Finance Manager and, most recently Head of Finance and Compliance within local charities. Louise is passionate about making a difference through ensuring the finance and operations functions support and enable colleagues to deliver services to Dementia Carers.
Helen Pyper
Helen has over 15 years of experience working in policy and influencing roles across the not-for-profit sector. She has been involved in a range of political influencing activities and events from working with elected representatives, local individuals and campaign groups on a single local issue to leading cross-organisational, national parliamentary lobbies. Helen greatly values the benefits of building links across the sector and more widely having, throughout her career, worked in collaboration with others, in the UK, Europe and internationally. She has personal experience of the impact dementia has on family and friends and is passionate about ensuring carers receive the support they need.
Katy Evans
Katy is an experienced social worker based in South Wales with a background in local authority and adult social care. She is specialised in dementia care, working in an integrated, multi-disciplinary service supporting carers to manage behaviours that challenge. Katy is passionate about positive approaches to dementia care. With sound knowledge of adult legislation and support networks, she is a great asset to the DCC services team.
Lorraine Haining
Lorraine’s background is in mental health nursing and she has specialised in dementia care for over twenty years. She holds the title of Queens Nurse Scotland, a social movement of nurses, selected by their local Health & Social Care Boards who are catalysts for change in their community. Lorraine has a range of experience that has allowed her to work across the UK. She enjoys the education arm of her work and knows acquiring knowledge and skills can be really empowering for family carers.
Julia Mazorodze
After a successful career marketing everything from fintech startups to FTSE100 commercial organisations, Julia moved to the voluntary sector over 10 years ago, leading on strategic communications, digital, marketing and campaigns for Scope, a national disability charity with a portfolio of services attracting over 2 million users per year.
Since then she’s led public engagement at international NGO Hope and Homes for Children, and consulted for UK charities supporting children without parental care. A B2B and Third Sector awards finalist and Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Julia cares deeply about partnering with individuals and business to offer them the opportunity to give back, ensuring everyone in society has the support they need to live life to the full.
Jennifer Currie
Jennifer has worked in finance for 37 years. During her career, she has worked within several industries including, education, housing, and the health care sector. Jennifer has also worked in adult social care, assisting and supporting her clients with dementia and their families in living an independent life and taking care of their wellbeing. Jennifer is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring her finance skills and experience to the team and support her colleagues in delivering the services Dementia Carers Count provide.
Jeanette Bunce
Jeanette has a background of working as an administrator and coordinator in the charity sector and personal experience of caring for relatives with dementia. Jeanette is delighted to have joined the team and is looking forward to supporting Dementia Carers Count’s work.
Dr Gemima Fitzgerald
Gemima is a Clinical Psychologist with a strong interest and expertise in the area of building resilience. Her doctoral research was around understanding the processes involved in developing resilience, and in 2015 she gave a TEDx talk on this subject. Gemima leads the psychology team within a male prison, which has enabled her to work with the most challenging mental health and behavioural difficulties. As well as her lead role in the prison, Gemima founded her own company and works freelance in a diverse range of settings; from private practice, to working with homelessness, hospices, and the NHS. She has worked with Dementia Carers Count, supporting family carers to strengthen their resilience, since 2017, and this is a particular passion for her.
Claire Reading
Claire is our Head of Business Development with a broad background in development roles across membership organisations, the private sector and charities. Claire has worked all over the country in marketing roles and various development positions liaising with businesses and other charities to deliver mutually beneficial strategic partnerships and corporate alliances. With personal experience of being a carer for her Mother with dementia, Claire brings her varied experience to DCC to help create more opportunities to share the work that we do to support carers.