The Shared Lives Scheme is a service which links people who need support with carers in their local community. Use this page to learn about the scheme, find out how to use it, and learn more about becoming a Shared Lives carer.
The Shared Lives Scheme supports people who have learning disabilities and/or autism. The carer's home and household is used as a resource, the carer's spare room is offered to support a person who has additional needs. This arrangement could be in place on a full-time, day-time, or respite basis. In turn, the Shared Lives carer receives a fee for supporting a person.
To be eligible to receive support through the scheme the person must have eligible needs as assessed under the Care Act 2014.
The person may either be funded through Social Services or be a self-funder.
We support our service users by helping them to:
- develop their independence
- join in activities to meet people and make friends
- get more involved in the community
Service users will be carefully matched with a suitable Shared Lives carer and both parties will have the opportunity to get to know each other before any plan is put in place, to make sure that everyone gets along and both parties are happy to proceed.
All Shared Lives carers are people living in or around Bath and North East Somerset, they are supported by the Shared Lives Scheme. Our carers have full training and are assessed (including relevant checks and references) before they become carers. We are also registered with CQC to provide personal care.
We offer three types of support through the Shared Lives Scheme:
Full-time placements: The service user lives with their Shared Lives carer in their home on a full-time basis. This can be for a few months, or for longer.
Overnight respite: The service user can enjoy regular short breaks away from their family homes with their Shared Lives carer within the local community.
Daytime support: The service user gets daytime support in the Shared Lives carer's home and within the local community. This could include work on skills, activities and hobbies and may include some mealtimes, but no overnight stays.
If you want to access the Shared Lives Scheme
If you feel like you, or a person you know could benefit from the support the Shared Lives Scheme offers, expand the following headings to find out more about accessing support through the scheme.
To access the service, you must be referred by your Social Worker or Social Care Practitioners from our Social Care team. You must be officially referred, even if you are a self-funder.
Once you have been referred to the service, a member of our team will contact you and your Social Worker or Social Care Practitioners to arrange an appointment to identify your needs and how the service can help you.
You must be entitled to a Personal Budget to pay for your support, or be classed as a self-funder to pay directly for this. Depending on what type of support you receive, you may need to contribute to some household food, bills or other costs.
Please contact us with any referrals or enquiries by emailing sharedlives@bathnes.gov.uk or calling or calling 01225394582.
Become a Shared Lives carer
If you think you've got what it takes to become a Shared Lives carer, expand the following headings to learn more about what would be expected of you, how you'd be supported, and what your potential income could be.
If you've got a spare room, want to help someone in your community, and generate extra income for your household, you could become a Shared Lives carer.
To become a Shared Lives Carer you must:
- have a spare room
- be willing to offer support to a person who has needs such as a learning disability, autism, or sensory impairment
- commit to full-time, respite, or day support
- be prepared for the Shared Lives scheme to source referrals for your household
If you become a Shared Lives carer:
- You can register one or more carers from the same household, for example a couple could register to provide support
- You will be carefully matched with a service user age 17 or over who needs support
- You can decide whether to support a person or not
- You make the decision to offer full-time, respite, or day support
- You will be provided a dedicated coordinator from the Shared Lives Scheme to support you
- You will receive ongoing support and training from the Shared Lives Scheme
- You will receive a fee for supporting a person
If you become a Shared Lives carer, you can expect to earn:
- £500 to £900 per week for a full-time support arrangement
- £80 to £150 per night for a respite support arrangement
You will also be self-employed and benefit from significant tax incentives
You can find out more about becoming a Shared Lives carer by contacting us at sharedlives@bathnes.gov.uk.