Accelerating Reform Fund, Shared Lives, and Homeshare

• Over half of all Integrated Care Systems (27 out of 42 ICS’s) across England chose to prioritise the growth of Shared Lives utilising this fund.
• We estimate this relates to an unprecedented investment of £5m+ into the Shared Lives schemes and activity over 2024-2025.

This has provided an important opportunity to build good foundations, fast track innovation and stimulate Shared Lives growth in the years to come.

Shared Lives Plus worked with 14 ICS areas on Shared Lives growth projects funded by the ARF.

Our Strategic Advice team has been supporting LAs and ICB consortiums this year across a range of priority areas, including:

• Developing new ways to grow Shared Lives, diversifying the local offer for key groups including: care experienced young people, autistic people, people living with dementia, with mental ill health and to step down from hospital into the community, and growing short breaks and day opportunities.
• Supporting and increasing good quality referrals: streamlining key Shared Lives processes and systems with social work practice, growing a culture around shared lives and growing confidence and awareness of Shared Lives with social work teams through Shared Lives practitioner training.
• Developing long term strategy and investment for growth: understanding the local potential and pressures facing adult social care in the years to come, and developing a clear vision, targets and robust plans, improvements and the needed investment, to grow a sector that’s sustainable.
• Developing and implementing strategic comms and recruitment campaigns: to stimulate the recruitment of a diverse group of carers in local areas, to support a range of individual caring needs and individual characteristics to facilitate more effective matching.

Are you interested in establishing, growing, or diversifying Shared Lives in your area? If yes, contact our Strategic Advice team today for an informal chat about how we can support you.