Shared Lives is where you live and are supported in the home of a Shared Lives carer. Some people say it is like fostering however, because you will be supported as an adult, you have choice and control over lots of things like your money, how you spend your time and what you eat, which makes it pretty different in lots of ways. Your carer and other people around you will still support you with these things if you need it. You will share the home and get your own bedroom if you are living with the carer. You and your Shared Lives Carer will agree what you need support with and when and how this will happen. This might be preparing meals, managing your finances or going out and doing fun things.
This all depends on what you want and need. You have probably thought about this with your Social Worker, Independent Reviewing Officer and maybe your Personal Advisor when you worked on your Pathway Plan – so this would be a good starting point. Most people may want help with cooking, managing their money and paying bills, finding work or volunteering opportunities, meeting other people and generally becoming more independent and making their own choices and decisions.
Shared Lives arrangements usually start when you are between 16-18 years old. Some young people stay with their foster carers, who then become Shared Lives carers. For others they may move from supported accommodation, a children’s home or another foster home. You will be a big part of planning your transition to moving in with a Shared lives Carer, as well as deciding how much time you spend getting to know each other first. The match is really important.
This is the work of the Shared Lives team! They will work hard to get to know you and find a great match for and they already know their carers well so they can find a great match for you. This may be based on where you want to live, the things you like doing and whether you like pets or a quiet or busy house. BUT it will only go ahead if you want it to – you are in the driving seat.
Great question!
Fostering It is like fostering in that you are supported to live in the carers home. The biggest difference is that as you will be an adult you have choice and control over your life. This means you will be supported to manage your finances, make decisions about how you spend your time and who you spend it with. For example, a Shared Lives carer wouldn’t report you missing if you arrived home a bit late and they wouldn’t pay for your clothes anymore – you would use your own money to buy what you want. However, there will be expectations within the home – a bit like fostering.
Staying Put It is like Staying Put, in that you are now an adult and supported in the carers home. However, you can only access Staying Put if stay with the same foster carer, whereas for Shared Lives it can be a new arrangement. Staying Put is also time limited usually up until 21or earlier if you can live independently before then, whereas Shared Lives can continue for as long as you need it. There also tends is quite a bit of support for your carer from the Shared Lives team to support them to support you and a network of supported people and carers so you can link up if you want to.
Supported Lodgings is most like Shared Lives as it is for young people who are 16+, and you live in the host’s home. However, it provides a lower level of support (up to 10 hours per week) and is time limited. It usually isn’t an option if you want to remain with your current carers.
The best way to answer this is to find out more about it. You could ask to speak to someone who has a Shared Lives arrangement. However, we tend to find that if you only want housing or to live in a somewhere like a hostel or foyer, it is likely that Shared Lives isn’t going to be quite right. Also, if you need a couple of people with you all the time it can be tricky.
We love this answer – it is for as long as you need to. Obviously, carers do retire, or their situation changes but if Shared Lives is the right option we would do all we could to find another match for you so you can remain part of Shared Lives. You may also move on to live independently when you are ready, but the people that you got to know while you were in Shared Lives will still be there for you.
