“A leading innovation in social care” – New research published by LSE, Kings College London and University of York on Shared Lives.

The case study says:

“[Shared Lives] has the potential to improve outcomes for people who need support and provide [local authorities] with a more cost-effective alternative to other models of care including residential care.”

Our CEO Ewan King, and Victoria Odude, who supports our work on young people leaving care, spoke at the final conference on the programme about the importance of lived experience in shaping innovation. Victoria (pictured below) talked about how, as a care experienced young person, she had successfully influenced positive changes in the sector.

We know that Shared Lives is difficult to grow – but not impossible. And this is reflected in the case study which ends with the statement: The growth of local schemes requires effective leadership, collaborative working across teams and agencies, mechanisms for learning and investment in scheme staff.

We agree and encourage local authorities and partners to continue to work with Shared Lives Plus to build the right conditions for growth.

You can find more research supporting Shared Lives in the Research and Reports section of the website.