The proof is in the partnership: from investment to growth

I was recently reminded, that this month marks two years since I joined the Shared Lives Plus team, and what an exciting journey it’s been!

At that point in December 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF)- a £42 million investment by the UK Government to promote innovation in adult social care – was quickly getting off the ground, and in my first few weeks I was busy talking to councils and Shared Lives schemes across England to explore ways that local areas could draw on this much needed investment in the Shared Lives sector.

Across these conversations I was struck by a paradox… repeatedly hearing how positively and highly regarded Shared Lives was by colleagues across social care whilst simultaneously hearing there was still little awareness of Shared Lives, its potential, and benefits across the sector and public.

This got me thinking…

How could we best galvanise on the opportunity that this DHSC funding presented to raise the profile of Shared Lives and gain traction with social care leaders and central government?

The answer to this resulted in a whirlwind of activity that’s been unfolding over the last two years, with over half of all areas in England choosing to invest in growing and developing Shared Lives (an estimated £6 million into local areas) and our Strategic Advice team working with 14 sub-regional areas to carry out their invested projects.

Throughout this activity I’ve heard first-hand about the powerful impact that Shared Lives already has on so many lives, from people who draw on Shared Lives, to the Shared Lives carers who open up their homes and family life to support them, and to the inspiring work of Shared Lives schemes who strive to grow and maintain this consistent high quality form of support.

People like Gracie, one our Care Leavers Ambassadors who said:

“It made me feel like I could be my own individual person, I’ve never had that before, it opened up a lot in my life.”

her Shared Lives carer Maria said,

“I feel like every day is joyful, full of excitement, I get so much from Shared Lives.”

I first had the pleasure of meeting Gracie and Maria at a Shared Lives event hosted in Rotherham, which brought together social and health care colleagues, and people involved in Shared Lives from across South Yorkshire. At this event we heard directly from people like Gracie on the impact Shared Lives has had on their lives.

Together we explored the wide-ranging potential of Shared Lives to support people at all stages of life, whether as a young care leaver, or an older aged person living with dementia.

This event caused a chain reaction in South Yorkshire, with social care and health leaders alike hooked on the impact that investing and growing Shared Lives could have for the people and communities they serve.

This is just one story of how the Accelerating Reform Fund has had a positive impact on Shared Lives, but there have been so many fantastic stories and activities right across England, including large scale recruitment campaigns, training to social care teams, relationship building with adult social care partners such as the NHS, children’s services, housing teams and the voluntary, community sector.

The data tells this story too, with our recent analysis showing that

• The number of people supported by Shared Lives increased by 3% nationally in just one year,
• 60% of all national growth occurred in areas that used ARF funding
• 40% of that growth took place in areas directly supported by Shared Lives Plus

In Greater Manchester, all 10 councils have been working closely with partners to develop its Shared Lives offer, currently developing a large scale carer recruitment campaign, and embarking on an inspirational pilot programme with Shared Lives Plus called Live More, which aims to test and robustly evaluate Shared Lives as an early action model of support for people with dementia.

My overarching reflection on these last two years is that Shared Lives is a well-loved and respected option for people in our communities that need it most, and that investment in Shared Lives really works!

The story isn’t over yet and we expect to see the impact of this continue to unfold in the years to come, and Shared Lives Plus plans to support local partners every step of the way. Watch this space…

To find out more about how Shared Lives Plus is supporting local areas through the ARF, visit our recent activity page.

Ready to discuss how we can help you establish, grow, or diversify Shared Lives? Email us at consultancy@sharedlivesplus.org.uk