Our Service
Futures for Shared Lives actively works with established, approved & new Foster Carers who wish to provide both a home and support for those young people who have reached 18 years of age and wish to remain in a family environment.
If you would like to learn more call: 01622 760600
Our Services
Opening your heart and home to offer a placement or long term home to an adult with additional needs is more than a ‘carer’ job, it is a rewarding and flexible career. You will need the physical space as the person placed will have their own bedroom, share the home kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and garden much as any family member would.
You can be an individual Shared Lives Carer or have a partner and family members, any gender and have the commitment, enthusiasm and patience to offer a vulnerable adult a warm and loving home, you will be prepared to offer support and guidance where needed and also allow those adults placed to lead an independent life as possible and fully enjoy all life can offer them.
No formal qualifications are required, however, you will go through an initial assessment where DBS checks, references and medical information is taken and then onto a thorough assessment and pre-approval training. We will not consider any applicant who has previous offences against a child or adult. Previous caring experience is ideal but we will walk with you through the requirements and process…you are not on your own.
You will receive a weekly salary based upon the type of support you are able to offer, as well as a contribution towards rent and household costs, such as food and utility bills. The fee depends on
What sort of support you offer.
How many people you support.
The individual support needs of the person placed.
Please do note that for those who are approved Foster Carers you can be dually approved as Foster Carers and Shared Lives Carers, we match equally carefully around all household members.
Services are charged on a banded system, which reflects the input, skill and expertise of our Hosts, as well as assessing the person who is placed level of need.
Our service can be purchased via the Local Authority, Adult Social Care or via self-funding direct payments.
The Next Step
The application process is straightforward and we are always on hand to help.
You can telephone us first or complete the application form online, please see the relevant application tab. We will then contact you and have a phone discussion, please do ask any questions which may help with your and your families decision.
We will then arrange to visit you, where we can talk about Shared Lives in general and specifically Futures for Shared Lives, again have your questions ready.
Then if we are all agreed that we can progress your application we will ask your permission to send for the checks and references; the checks consist of an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) as a minimum of two referees, one must be your current or last employer, and a basic medical via your own GP. We appoint a Shared Lives Assessor who will work with you to complete the assessment, this will take up to 10 home visits and we will require discussion with other household members.
This assessment is to enable us to get to know you, your family and friends, your lifestyle and interests, including pets, which in turn allows us to match people as carefully as we can. It is no fun for anyone if we place someone with you who is frightened of dogs, and beloved Fido is part of your family…no fun at all!
The assessment should take between two to three months to complete.
You will be expected to attend pre-approval training, this will give you more information and insight into a Shared Lives Carer and also provide information on Adult Social Care.
Once the assessment is completed, you will see the report and be asked for your feedback on the process, quality of the information and you are asked to check for accuracy.
You, your assessing Social Worker and the report are presented to the independent Shared Lives Panel; this panel consists of people with relevant personal/professional experience and it is their role to check that we, Futures for Shared Lives have undertaken a good quality and fair assessment. The Panel make a recommendation which you will know on the day and pass the written assessment and their recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker who makes the final decision on the approval of Shared Lives Carers.
Once approved, the matching process begins, this can take time to find the ‘right’ match, but we will contact you to discuss potential referrals; you and your families are the arbiters of who comes to share your home and lives, you will never be pressurised to take someone who does not seem compatible.
Case Examples
T is a young man who was placed in foster care 10 years ago, he is profoundly autistic, is an elective mute and requires constant supervision. Having lived with his foster family for 10 years he is firmly embedded in the family and is considered a family member.
He has attended school and college, goes on wonderful holidays with his ‘family’ in the Caribbean and Cuba to name two places.
T has thrived in this environment, achieving more than many thought possible.
T. Will never achieve independence and he would be agitated and distressed in even the best of group homes as he needs the reassurance of the same caregivers, routines and the security of trusted Carers.
T’s Foster Carers (now Shared Lives Hosts) and their extended family love T as if he were theirs, they cannot conceive of him moving anywhere else, they love life with him as he loves life with them.
His Hosts remain Foster Carers and have other children living in the home.
T continues to learn more skills, has a little speech and has the biggest football collection any youngster could want!
T’s Shared Lives Hosts would say that they get so much reward and satisfaction from having T in their family they cannot conceive of him ever leaving.
W is a young man in his mid-twenties who until recently lived with his loving but ageing birth parents.
Unfortunately, W’s father suffered a series of strokes which affected their ability to care for W full time. The parents had looked at a series of group homes but felt strongly that W would not cope with other residents behaviours and the frequent change of staff on a rota.
So they elected to start with a respite provision with a carefully matched shared Lives Host and W went for respite every weekend, which has now increased to six daycares with W returning home on a Saturday evening and returning to placement on a Sunday.
We know that as his father becomes more infirm W will require a full-time placement, and his parents are very happy with his Host Carer and are very treasured that she has offered a continuing home for W in the future.
J is a lively young man who has cerebral palsy. He is reliant on his wheelchair from which he can transfer but is not able to walk at all.
He has made huge strides, but now in his twenties, he does need a further period of learning independence and self-care skills with the aim of possibly coping in a more independent living arrangement.
His Shared Lives Hosts are greatly assisting him in building his confidence and abilities.
J enjoys the security and benefits of family life while he endeavours to gain independence, he is a remarkable young man who thankfully is placed with a Host family who will help him achieve his goals.
B is a young woman with considerable medical needs, she also was an elective mute and requires daily physio to compensate for her ongoing medical issues.
However, she enjoys a certain amount of independence and attends college. Unfortunately, B will never be able to live independently and her medical needs require ongoing support and monitoring.
Nevertheless B gets great enjoyment from life, she loves music, dancing and helps with the Host family beehives.
She has contact with her birth brothers and birth mum, and whilst she values this contact she considers her Host family as her ‘forever family’, she has blossomed and her achievements are remarkable since being in their care.
B has aspirations (some possibly unrealistic!) but who knows her progress to date since being placed has astounded many professionals.
These are just a few examples of current Futures for Shared Lives placements, we always say that for every type of Shared Lives home there is a person who would benefit emeaserably from kind, caring support and encouragement, building on skills and celebrating those who will always require the care of those they live with.
I choose not to place ‘Dis’ in my ability."
- Robert M Hensel
Learn More About Shared Lives
We believe any transition into adult services should be a smooth and seamless service wherever possible. We offer both training and financial support to families or individuals who offer an adult placement within their own homes.
If you would like to learn more or think you could offer a home to a young person or adult in need, we'd love to hear from you.
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