Roles and responsibilities

Shared Lives carers come from many different backgrounds. Some have worked in health or social care and have professional qualifications. Others bring valuable life experience. You do not need to have worked in care before, as long as you are keen, caring, compassionate and willing to learn.

As a Shared Lives carer, you help people live happy, independent lives.

By welcoming someone into your home and sharing everyday life with them, you create a safe and friendly place where they feel included and valued. You empower them to make their own choices about their life, including how they decorate their room and spend their time.

If you have a spare room, you could become a Shared Lives carer.

Some of your responsibilities as a Shared Lives carer include:

• providing a healthy and safe home
• balancing the needs and lifestyles of everyone in your household
• understanding and respecting the confidentiality and rights to privacy of the people you support
• building positive relationships with the people you support and the important people in their lives
• supporting people to be independent in all aspects of day-to-day life
• following relevant policies and procedures outlined by the Shared Lives scheme and CQC, including regular meetings with the Shared Lives worker
• maintaining required training and learning needed to be a Shared Lives carer

This is not a full list of the responsibilities of a Shared Lives carer.

If you provide long-term accommodation, you may need to make some adjustments within your household, as being a Shared Lives carer can change the dynamic. It’s also important to make time for yourself and your family, as well as supporting the person living with you. Short breaks can help with this.

You can find out more about the different types of support available.