Maurizia is a single parent, of 2 boys aged 13yrs and 11yrs; her youngest, William, was born with Down’s Syndrome.

Prior to becoming a parent carer, she trained as a bi-lingual personal assistant and worked for 18 years in London, the West Midlands and Rome. Maurizia then took the decision to move her family back to England in 2002 as she felt she would be better supported and that William would stand a much better chance of reaching his full potential. Eight years on, she believes she made the right decision!

A co-founder of the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council, Maurizia works closely with the Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) Team at the local authority and she is the lead parent for short breaks. Significant projects she has been involved in to date include the development of the Wiltshire Local Offer and the revision of eligibility criteria to access a service from the Children’s Disability Teams.

Another important part of her role is around participation and working with the Strategy & Development Officer to ensure parent carers are represented on relevant working groups within the local authority, through our joint Participation & Communication Strategy. Maurizia also represents parent carers on the Children & Young People’s Trust Board, Disability Group and Learning Disabilities Partnership Board.