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Over 10,000 people across the UK share their home and family life with someone who needs support as a Shared Lives carer.
Shared Lives carers receive payment for the care they do, are self-employed, work from home and can qualify for tax relief on earnings. They can benefit from training, regular breaks and a UK support network. And they get to see the amazing difference in someone’s life – it’s the ultimate work from home role!
A day in the life of a Shared Lives carer is hardly ever the same and that is what makes it so wonderful. Fulfilling, challenging, flexible and knowing that you are making a real difference to someone’s life.
Being a Shared Lives carer is unique. It’s about opening up your home to support anyone aged 16 or above to live a full life regardless of the support they need in a family and community of their choosing. It’s also about having a flexible job and working for yourself to create a better life balance.
Benefits of being a Shared Lives carer
There are many! First of all, there is the flexibility and freedom of working from home, as well as flexible working hours. You can also choose to care for people on a long-term basis, for short breaks or day support.
Training
You do not need any formal qualifications to be a Shared Lives carer. Shared Lives will provide you with all the appropriate information and training and of course, you may have your own experience from other forms of care to draw on. However previous experience is not essential – you just need a kind heart and a spare room!
How to apply
You can register your interest in becoming a Shared Lives carer. We will contact you to discuss the next steps.
Information we will ask you for
As part of your application, you will need to:
- provide 2 professional and 2 personal references
- complete an assessment
- complete statutory checks, including a Cifas and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
Matching you to the person you'll care for
The Shared Lives Team will support you step by step through your assessment and approval journey to become a shared lives carer and beyond. Once you have been fully approved, a detailed matching process will ensure you and the person you care for are well matched, both in terms of the type of care you are able to provide (short or long term) and also interests, lifestyle likes and dislikes, etc.
Data protection
The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by visiting the Cifas website.