Frequently asked questions for Shared Lives carers

Pets will be included in your carer assessment. We know every animal is different and as their owner you will need to consider their temperament and behaviour.

However, rather than viewing pets as getting in the way of being a Shared Lives carer, pets can be a great way of helping people build their confidence and feel calm.

When we have approved you to be a Shared Lives carer, your Shared Lives Officer will contact you to begin matching you with someone. They take into consideration how they will fit into your household and once they have found you a potential match you can begin to get to know who you're supporting.

You might meet for a walk, a cup of tea or getting something to eat. If you're both happy then the person may visit for a few hours, and then an overnight stay, before you both decide if it’s the right match for you.

Normally there is a main Shared Lives carer, but you can apply with a support Shared Lives carer that could be your spouse, partner, adult child, or friend that wants to support you.

Being a Shared Lives carer is open to everyone. We encourage and support diversity in our schemes. Whether you're single, in a civil partnership or married. Race, religion or sexual orientation does not impact you becoming a Shared Lives Carer.

Your benefits may be affected by becoming a Shared Lives carer. Shared Lives carer fees are considered as wages and therefore will affect means-tested benefits (where your eligibility is determined by you or your households income), especially if you are long-term carer.

Many Shared Lives carers start by offering day support or short breaks, which give you a chance to find out what being a Shared Lives carer is like.

Short breaks carers may support someone for a single overnight stay, a regular weekend a month, or a couple of weeks at a time. Whatever works best for the Shared Lives carer and the person staying with them.

Shared Lives carers who started with short breaks often say it is the ideal introduction for a new carer, and that it was an easy decision from there to open their home to someone long term.

If you don’t have a spare room suitable for someone to live in you can support someone just during the day – maybe someone with a learning disability or dementia. Day support offers lots of flexibility and variety, and Shared Lives carers who provide day support often become an extension of the supported person’s family.

What kind of support would I give?

The support you give to people will be as individual as they are but could include:

• Supporting someone with practical tasks like washing, cooking or shopping; and helping them develop those independent living skills
• Personal care including washing and dressing, or reminding them to take their medication
• Helping people make connections – keeping in touch with families, making new friends and getting involved in their community
• Supporting people to access education, volunteering, training or employment – including how to manage their money and use it safely.

You do not have to share any personal details that you do not want to.

Personal care can include helping someone with washing or dressing, or dealing with incontinence. But many people supported by Shared Lives have no personal care needs.

You and your Shared Lives Officer will talk about the level of support you are comfortable providing during the assessment process, and the scheme will be clear about the personal care needs of any potential matches before you start the matching process.

Living in Shared Lives arrangements means the person you care for will be provided with a licence agreement. This does not offer the same rights as an assured tenancy so does not give people living in Shared Lives arrangements any claim on the Shared Lives carer's property.

In the case of short-term breaks, the individual is a temporary guest, and the carers house is not considered to be their permanent home.

Absolutely! As part of the Shared Lives scheme, each person involved has to be happy with the match. As part of the assessment you'll talk to your Shared Lives Officer about who you imagine supporting, their age range, needs and more.

There are a few areas where all Shared Lives carers must do training, these include:

• First Aid
• Medication Awareness
• Food Safety
• Hydration
• Nutrition and Infection Control
• Moving and Assisting
• Safeguarding Adults

You may require further training depending on the needs of the person or people you support. Some training can be done online and in your own time. 

We take into account your health and any long-term conditions. What we take into consideration is whether you are physically and psychologically able to deal with the demands and needs of supporting someone else.