Shared Lives Week 2026: Could you support a young person to thrive through Shared Lives?

Shared Lives offers a different approach. It starts with building a relationship and can grow into a stable, long-term home.

As part of Shared Lives Week, we’re sharing our film, Become a Shared Lives carer, to help more people discover Shared Lives and the difference it can make for young people leaving care and young adults with a learning disability.

Watch the film:

Shared Lives carers support young people at a crucial point in their lives – not just with practical things, but by being there day to day. As Rug, a Shared Lives carer, explains in the film: “Shared Lives gives that extra time for that young adult to believe and be cared for and be loved. They need to know that they’re worthwhile.”

For some carers, Shared Lives builds on an existing relationship. Bev and Tim, featured in the film, became Shared Lives carers so the young person they were fostering could stay with them after turning 18.

“We were very concerned about what her long-term care would look like post-18. So we became Shared Lives carers so she could stay with us and we could give her a home for as long as she needed.”

This is what Shared Lives can make possible – continuity, stability and a place where someone belongs as they move into adulthood.

Shared Lives carers support young people to build confidence and independence at their own pace, with someone alongside them.

Shared Lives carers receive a fee and are supported by their local Shared Lives scheme, with training, regular contact and peer support.

If you’re interested in becoming a Shared Lives carer, find out more at www.startyoursharedlife.today

To find out more about transitioning from foster care to Shared Lives, visit our resources for foster carers: Resources for foster carers.