A SOCIAL care scheme that offers an alternative and highly flexible form of accommodation and support has showcased its work.
Shared Lives is currently open to people aged 18 and over who need support.
It enables people to live with approved carers on a long-term basis, sharing in the ordinary lifestyles of the carers and their families.
And those benefitting from it gathered at Stamford Park as part of Shared Lives Week.
A service user could live with a carer for up to 12 months, with the focus on promoting skills and independence, with a view to moving towards more independent living.
A respite service enables users to take either regular short breaks or one-off periods, with examples being to allow for convalescence after a hospital stay or for family members to go on holiday or have a break from their caring role.
There is also day support, in which users can use community facilities or to visit approved carers in the carer’s home, along with emergency work.
And on Wednesday, June 15, there was a celebration of Shared Lives’ work as part of its annual flagship campaign to also show our gratitude for the amazing work of our Shared Lives carers.
This year, the focus has been on the importance of short breaks and day support in Shared Lives.
A photography exhibition capturing what life has been like for Shared Lives Families over the past 12 months or so. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Change and Growth.’
Tameside Council adopted changes to the scheme in 2018, notably dropping the eligibility age to 16 and altering payment plans, from a fixed sum to a banded scheme.
The authority stated: “The service users referred to the Shared Lives service vary in complexity of needs and levels of support required.
“These levels of support were not reflected in the fixed payment. This could lead to carers becoming less incentivised to support service users with complex needs.
“This is a growing area of need within the borough.
“By developing Shared Lives as a service for young people, we could achieve positive outcomes through earlier planning at what can be a very stressful time for a young person and their family.
“By providing services for young people we can offer stability in periods of high stress which will reduce the need for additional services in later life.”