Could you become part of the Shared Lives community? - Print version

Who can apply to become a Shared Lives Carer?

Shared Lives welcomes enquiries from all adults regardless of their age, nationality and culture. Anyone willing to open their home and make a difference to someone’s life can be considered to become a Carer.

If you have a room to spare and a life to share, time to invest in people, we at Shared Lives are keen to talk to you.

Do you have that something special to support people who would benefit from sharing a life in your home? If you have a caring nature and can offer someone the opportunity to live in a family environment, support people to develop relationships and grow in confidence, Shared Lives may be for you.

Shared Lives Carers come from all walks of life and don’t need qualifications or experience in Social Care, although this is welcomed. The scheme wishes to represent Coventry’s diverse cultures, nationalities, religions and LGBT+ communities. At Shared Lives we celebrate our differences and welcome diversity!

To become a Shared Lives Carer, you must have the right attitude and core values along with a willingness to truly share your life with another person. We provide training and guidance to support Carers in their new role. Carers are allocated a Shared Lives Officer who will support them throughout their journey. The Shared Lives Officer will build a good working relationship and guide Carers through the approval process with ongoing support, training and guidance.

Carers can offer different types of support, including Long-term placements, Short- term placements, Respite and family Carers breaks. Shared Lives supports individuals from the age of 18 years old, including individuals with a variety of needs such as Learning Disabilities, Mental Ill Health, Older people and people with physical and sensory impairments.

We also support Foster Carers who wish to continue supporting a young adult as they move from Foster Care to Shared Lives and into adulthood.

This could be a new opportunity for paid work from home, giving you the chance to make a difference to someone. If this sounds like a role you could be interested in, enquire now to start a fresh journey that’ll enrich your life!

If you feel this is something you would like to consider, please contact the scheme.

GOV.UK provides guidance for Qualifying care relief: Shared Lives Carers. [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualifying-care-relief-foster-carers-adult-placement-carers-kinship-carers-and-staying-put-carers-hs236-self-assessment-helpsheet]

"My confidence came back, I began travelling independently again which meant I was able to meet up with my family & friends once again, I also had my own key and was able to live the life I wanted to."

"I like to make drinks for visitors and always make people feel welcome. I like to have jobs that I can do, it is important to me."