Issued on behalf of Warwickshire County Council
A new care service in Warwickshire is on the lookout for caring individuals that would be interested in sharing their homes and their lives with adults that need extra support in the community.
Shared Lives is a brand new pilot scheme for Warwickshire that involves Warwickshire County Council working in partnership with Coventry City Council to offer adults with additional needs a flexible form of supported living.
Shared Lives centres on carers sharing their home, family and community life with adults that need support. It not only gives people entering into a Shared Lives care arrangement the chance to be part of a family, but also to be part of the wider community.
Warwickshire County Council wants to recruit five new carers in the county to provide opportunities for approximately ten adults who are eligible for services, which could include individuals with a learning disability, autism, mental health, long term conditions and early onset dementia.
Full training and support is given to carers through the national Shared Lives scheme, which approves and monitors all Shared Lives carer arrangements, receives referrals and matches the needs of people seeking support from the service with the carers themselves.
People living in Shared Lives arrangements often enjoy more fulfilling lives, with recent research showing that over 90% made new friends as a result, half of customers going on holiday for the first time, and over a quarter of customers joining a club not exclusively for disabled people for the first time in their lives.
If you are interested in becoming a Shared Lives carer in Warwickshire, call 024 7678 5339.
For further information on Shared Lives visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sharedlives and www.sharedlivesplus.org.uk
