Shared Lives Week 2026: “People think carers are older – we’re 27″

Jessie Edwards and Henry Wakes, both 27, were working full-time jobs, renovating their first home and caring for their animals when they decided to support Adam, a young man leaving foster care, through Shared Lives.

“We never planned to become Shared Lives carers, but when the opportunity came up, we realised we had the skills to give it our best effort,” Henry said.

“People often assume carers are older, but we didn’t necessarily see it that way. We’d both recently lived in student halls, shared houses and with family, so living with other people felt very normal to us. Being closer in age to Adam also means we can sometimes relate to the decisions and challenges he faces as a young adult because we’ve been navigating many of them ourselves in recent years.”

Jessie and Henry already knew Adam through Henry’s mum, who had been his foster carer. When they realised he would soon need to move on, they decided to support him through Blackburn with Darwen Shared Lives rather than see him move in with someone unfamiliar.

“We wanted to help someone we already cared about become a confident, independent adult who could take care of himself,” Henry said.

More than a year later, Adam has developed greater confidence and independence while continuing to live as part of their household alongside the couple’s dogs, cats and rabbits.

“At first, we supported Adam with lots of everyday routines because he’d never really had the chance to learn those skills for himself,” Jessie said.

“Now he cooks his own meals, manages much more independently and needs far less prompting day-to-day.”

The couple say one of the biggest surprises has been how naturally Shared Lives has fitted around their lives.

“We’ve been able to continue our lives, work full-time jobs, care for multiple animals and renovate our home,” Henry said.

“Shared Lives has been really rewarding. When you see someone grow in confidence every day, knowing you’ve helped support that growth, it’s a great feeling.”

They also say the experience has helped them grow personally.

“It’s developed our leadership, communication and empathy in ways we’ll carry with us through all areas of life,” Jessie said.

Shared Lives is a real example of what the future of good social care looks like. It builds relationships, belonging and purpose. Shared Lives schemes bring together people who need support with approved Shared Lives carers to share home, family and community life.

Shared Lives can include day arrangements, short breaks and long-term support for people with a learning disability, care-experienced young people, people living with mental ill health and older people living with dementia, including through programmes such as Live More.

Every Shared Lives arrangement is carefully matched. People spend time getting to know each other gradually, often through visits and overnight stays, helping build stable, long-term relationships where people feel settled and connected.

Despite nearly 10,000 people being supported through Shared Lives across the UK, many people still do not know it exists.

Ewan King, Chief Executive of Shared Lives Plus, said:

“Jessie and Henry’s story challenges assumptions about who can become a carer and what support can look like.”

“Too often, people think care only happens in formal settings. Shared Lives shows something different – support built around relationships, ordinary family life and connection.”

“Most of us will need support at some point in our lives. Shared Lives shows what that support can look like when people are known, valued and included.”

People from a wide range of backgrounds and at different life stages can become Shared Lives carers. Shared Lives carers receive a fee and ongoing support from their local scheme.

“Whether you’re young, busy, working full-time or later in life, Shared Lives can fit around ordinary life if you have kindness and patience,” Jessie said.

Jessie and Henry hope their story encourages more people to rethink who caring is for – and to ‘shout about Shared Lives’.

Shared Lives Week takes place from 15th – 21st June 2026. Support us to ‘shout about Shared Lives’ and take our ‘tell one person’ challenge so that more people can discover Shared Lives and more lives can change.

You can also join our free online webinar, Shout about Shared Lives, on Thursday 18th June from 2pm–3pm to hear from people who draw on Shared Lives support, Shared Lives carers and family members sharing their experiences.

Find out more: Shared Lives Week 2026