Our Chief Executive Alex Fox has a message for all our incredible Shared Lives carers, and especially those of you struggling with the Covid-19 outbreak.
These are strange and testing times for all of us, but especially those who already give so much to our society – people working in adult social care. We already knew how vital you are to your communities, but with the challenges we currently face, our communities will come to depend on you even more. Thank you for caring in tough or even risky circumstances: please stay safe and well, and don’t be afraid to reach out to us, your Shared Lives scheme and those around you in the community when you need help.
Staying connected with each other will be vital in the coming weeks and months. Please share with us your stories about what life is like at the moment so we can help the general public understand what you do and support you with it.
I know that there are many issues connected to the pandemic affecting Shared Lives carers and as your membership organisation we are working hard to tackle them. We know some people are suddenly having to provide 24/7 care for people, as day centres and day support are no longer available – this can be a huge extra pressure and not all Shared Lives carers are being offered the back-up, equipment and pay they need to do this.
We also know that some day support, short breaks and even some long-term live-in arrangements are collapsing because of the rules for self-isolation – leaving some carers without any income whatsoever.
We are responding to these issues with guidance for local organisations on how to support you and through lobbying government on your behalf.
Please log in to your member’s account to find:
We are doing everything we can to try to help with the issues you are telling us about. Our first priority is that you are keeping safe and well, so let us know what else we can do to help, and please stay in touch.
With all best wishes,
Alex Fox OBE,
Chief Executive
Shared Lives Plus
