Far from getting in the way of being a Shared Lives carer, pets can be an asset and help people to grow in confidence.

Every animal is different, and your pets will be included in your carer assessment – looking at things like their temperament and behaviour. As a pet owner, you also need to think about how your pet will respond to a new person in your home.

Yes! Being a Shared Lives Carer is open to everyone, whether single, in a civil partnership or married. Race, religion or sexual orientation does not have an impact on becoming a Shared Lives Carer - we positively encourage diversity.

Usually there is a main Shared Lives Carer, and if available, you can apply with a support Shared Lives carer – maybe your spouse, partner, adult child, or a friend who wants to support you.

Each person you support will have a life that goes beyond your home. You and Shared Lives MK will work this out together during the approval process.

Anyone over 18 can apply to become a Shared Lives Carer whether you are single, in a relationship, have children, or live alone. And as long as you are fit and healthy enough, there’s no upper age limit for Shared Lives carers. Both partners in a couple need to apply and complete training even if one person will be the main carer.

Once you’ve been approved, your Shared Lives Officer will contact you to begin matching you with someone who will fit into your household. When you find a potential match it’s just like getting to know anyone new – meeting for a cuppa, a walk, or getting something to eat. Then, if you are both happy, 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.

If you would like this information, please email membership@sharedlivesplus.org.uk

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.

Your Shared Lives Officer is your first line of support. They’re there to provide you with advice and guidance as well as arranging ongoing training for the role. 

Many Shared Lives schemes have a Shared Lives carer support group where you can meet other carers in your area. In Milton Keynes we have such a group. It meets regularly and can be a great source of strength where carers can celebrate their successes and support each other when you need it.

And of course if you join Shared Lives Plus, you join a network of over 6,000 Shared Lives carers. Shared Lives Plus has been supporting Shared Lives carers for over 40 years, with information and discounts, newsletters and webinars, annual awards to celebrate the best of Shared Lives, and an advice line staffed by experienced Shared Lives carer champions. 

The scheme will want to make sure that you have the right qualities to become a Shared Lives carer, and want to know more about you. Why do you want to work with people who need support? Do you have the ability to nurture them, communicate with them, advocate on their behalf and include them as part of your family? Are you willing to work as part of a team, develop your skills and qualities through training and learning and have the resilience to stay strong in times of difficulty?

Shared Lives carers come from all backgrounds and bring a wide range of life and work experience with them. It’s not just about having previous caring experience, what matters is that you have the right personal skills and qualities to welcome and support someone into your home.

There are, however, some common criteria that schemes need you to meet:

• to be at least 18 years-old
• to have a spare bedroom big enough for a person to live in (if you are having people stay overnight)
• to be a full-time resident in the UK or have leave to remain
• to be able to give the time to care for person.

Yes! This is one of the best parts of Shared Lives; everyone involved has to agree to the match and be happy with who they are going to support, visit, or live with. It’s totally unlike any other caring role.

As part of the carer assessment, you’ll talk to your Shared Lives Officer about the kind of people you’d like to support – their age range and needs, the number of people you will be approved to care for, and any other considerations.

Only if you 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.

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 also need to do other training depending on the needs of the person or people you support. Quite a lot of this training can be done online, and in your own time.

People living in Shared Lives arrangements are provided with a licence agreement which does not offer the same rights as an assured tenancy. So, although Shared Lives arrangements can be long-lasting, people living in Shared Lives arrangements have no claim on the Shared Lives carer’s property and should not affect your mortgage. 

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.

What matters is whether you are physically and psychologically able to cope with the demands of supporting someone else. Your health will be considered when applying to be a Shared Lives carer and any long-term conditions are taken into account.