Someone who visits or lives with a Shared Lives carer may be:
- An older person living with dementia
- A young adult transitioning from foster care
- Someone with a learning disability, or physical impairment, mental health conditions or older adults who need extra help to live independently in their local area.

“We thought it was a brilliant idea for a care leaver like ours and how we could continue to help him build on his independent living skills.”
John and Yifeng
The key thing to remember is you’ll get to choose who you support, and they’ll get to choose you – with advice and guidance from your local Shared Lives scheme.
Don’t worry if you’ve never supported people with this sort of support need before. There’s lots of training opportunities, for example for medication, safeguarding, first aid, and mental capacity and the care certificate.
“Anyone considering being a Shared lives carer can be assured the help and support from start to finish is ongoing to make each placement a success”
Your empowering personality, caring nature, and willingness to help someone explore new opportunities are more important than your previous experience.
“Shared Lives has allowed us to witness incredible growth in confidence, skills, and social interaction among those we care for. Watching them flourish in their independence is the most rewarding aspect of our work.”
Contact us
Our friendly team are happy to help, call us on 01908 254088 or email sharedlivesmk@milton-keynes.gov.uk