Carer – Shared Lives
- Could you share your life with someone who needs your support?
- Are you open to providing something like ”foster care” but for an adult?
- Do you have a room in your home and a room in your heart?
- Do you believe that everyone deserves a safe, supported, and inclusive home?
If you have answered yes to any of the above, you may consider becoming a Shared Lives carer and we would love to hear from you.
What is a Shared Lives Carer?
It’s very similar to being a foster carer but for adults who find themselves assessed as vulnerable either with additional or complex needs, perhaps they might be coming out of long-term hospital care and need support before returning home or maybe someone leaving childcare and transitioning into adult care or maybe a single parent with a young child who just needs that bit of extra support, the possibilities are endless.
You will need a spare room and be open to sharing your home and life. You don’t need any qualifications, just the right values, commitment and opines to create a stable and safe home. As a Shared Lives Carer, you can be paid up to £510.20 p/w per single placement with a maximum of 3 placements at a time.
Through the HMRC, you will have self-employed status and therefore will qualify for tax relief at £18,140 k per annum and £540 p/w for each person you support.
About You
This is a great opportunity for those individuals who want to develop a rewarding career within the adult social care sector across Dumfries and Galloway. Shared Lives really does challenge the assumptions of what adults who require extra support can achieve whilst living within the comfort of an ordinary home, but with extra-ordinary carers.
What to Consider
If you are currently looking for a change of direction/career change, or already working as a support worker/carer assistant in domiciliary or residential care, however, your more passionate about supporting people in the community, the Shared Lives could be for you.
Some things to Consider If you don’t own your own property, you will need to ask your landlord’s permission to use your home for a Shared Lives Arrangement Shared Lives Carers open their home and support adults who are assessed as vulnerable for whatever reason on either a live-in, short break/respite or day support basis.
The carer encourages the individual to not only become part of their family and provide a sense of belonging, but also to create a life of new opportunities, of which the person would otherwise have limited chances to experience.
The aim of the Shared Lives Carer is to always support the individual to develop the practical, social and emotional skills to make their own choices in life and be as independent as possible, whilst remaining at the heart of the community, just like you and me. We will provide you with relevant training, and once approved, on-going support to ensure that the highest quality of care is maintained throughout each Shared Lives Arrangement.
Deciding on Yes
The Assessment process will involve several stages to check your suitability and allow us to find out more about you and your family, along with your values and life experience. We will use a combination of online meetings, training, and professional discussions, before presenting you to a panel. An enhanced PVG check, and references are also required.
Becoming a Shared Lives Carer also means there is the opportunity to get involved in wider social events, celebrations and Participatory Funding events as well as connecting to a wealth of support and new friendships within our established Dumfries and Galloway Service.
