Gracie Rhodes, a Shared Lives Plus ambassador from Rotherham, spoke to BBC Radio Sheffield about her experience of Shared Lives — and how having the right support at the right time helped her grow in confidence, independence and self-belief.
In the interview, Gracie reflects on finding Shared Lives after a difficult period of transition, what it was like moving into a new home, and how being understood and supported helped her begin to thrive.
Gracie appeared on spoke with Paulette Edwards, sharing her personal story and helping to extend the conversation about care-experienced young people beyond National Care Leavers Month.
Gracie lived with her family until she was 18, but difficulties around being understood meant she had to leave home without a clear long-term plan in place. After several monhts of uncertainty, Shared Lives was suggested by her social worker — something Gracie reflected on in the interview with Paulette:
“And it was like, why is this the last option when it sounds perfect for what I need? That loving, caring home environment would have fit me perfectly from the start.”
Although initially nervous about living with someone she didn’t know, Gracie decided to give it a chance.
After moving in, the constant support and regular check-ins helped her feel safe and supported, and made it easier to access assessments that later led to an autism diagnosis.
With greater stability in place, Gracie says she was able to grow in confidence, independence and self-expression, and she now uses her experience — working as an ambassador with the Care Leavers Programme — to improve the transition into adulthood for young people leaving care.
As she said to Paulette:
“I think it’s just so wonderful and it’s a great service. It just feels like a truly beautiful secret”
Shared Lives matches young people and adults who need support with trained Shared Lives carers who welcome them into their hearts and their homes.
For care leavers, Shared Lives can provide:
Shared Lives is a community-based alternative to traditional housing or support services – grounded in genuine, long-term connection.
See how Shared Lives can support you
Explore how Shared Lives fits into care-leaver pathways
The Shared Lives Care Leavers programme is an innovative two-year programme, running from 2024-2026 to support the growth and development of Shared Lives for care leavers by working with pilot sites across the UK, people with lived experience, and stakeholders.
The programme builds on the great work from the DfE Innovation project to spread and scale Shared Lives for care leavers with the ambitious vision that Shared Lives will be a core element of every Local Offer for Care Leavers.
Visit the programme pages to find out more. Shared Lives for care leavers
