Shared Lives Carer

Further Information

Do you have the heart to be a Shared Lives carer?

Could you share the activities you love doing, your home or family life with an adult who needs additional support to live their best life!

We are looking for Shared Lives Carers across the Newcastle upon Tyne area. Could you be the person we are looking for?

The Shared Lives Service matches a person with a Learning Disability with an approved carer. The person and carer share the carers home, community and family lives.

All Shared Lives carers are supported through an assessment process which can take up to 3 months to complete. It includes the application form, vetting checks and references as well as a DBS. The role does require that you to have a spare bedroom in your home.

At Shared Lives, we offer 2 types of service, these are:

• Long term – where the person would live with you and your family.
• Short Breaks (respite) – where the person would come and stay for the odd night, weekend or week, on a short-term basis.

By becoming a Shared Lives Carer you make a real difference to the people you support, giving them an improved quality of life, social inclusion and personalised support.

This might include:

• supporting with everyday tasks such as getting up or cooking
• teaching them new skills or how to live more independently
• assisting them to do social activities or access their local community

As a Carer, your role will be to encourage the person to not only become part of the family and therefore providing a sense of belonging, but also to create a life of new opportunities, of which the person would otherwise have limited chances to experience.

The aim of the Shared Lives Carer is to support the person where they need it, and to develop the practical, social and emotional skills to help them make their own choices in life and be as independent as possible, whilst remaining at the heart of the community, just like you and me.

The Shared Lives scheme will provide you with training, support and guidance.

As a Shared Lives Carer you are self-employed and as such through HMRC you will have self-employed status and qualify for Tax relief for each person you support. To find out more about the tax relief you could receive, please go to: Increase in Qualifying Care Relief - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk )

Long term carers are paid up to £540 per week, in addition there will be an opportunity to take up to 28 days a year respite.

We are holding drop-in sessions once a month where you can meet the team and find out more about Shared Lives.
Give us a ring [contact hidden] on or email us at [contact hidden] to find out about Newcastle Shared Lives and the dates of the drop in sessions

Use the link below to find out more about Newcastle Shared Lives https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/sharedlives/shared-lives