What is Shared Lives Stoke?
Stoke on Trent City Council have recently introduced a Shared Lives Scheme to its Learning Disability Provider Team. Shared Lives Stoke is a unique person centred approach which finds alternative accommodation for those people that are eligible for the service.
Who can access Shared Lives Stoke?
An adult aged 18 years and over who has a learning disability with care and support needs living in Stoke on Trent.
Shared Lives Stoke will match someone who needs care and support with an approved carer. They will consider the likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests of the person and the carer before introducing them to each other. The carer shares their family and community life, and gives care and support to the person with care needs. Some people move in permanently with their shared lives carer, while others may only stay for a few nights.
How do I become a Shared Lives Carer?
Shared Lives Stoke needs to find suitable people who will become Shared Lives Carers.
A potential Shared Lives Carer will need to:
- be willing to share their home and family life with a person who has a learning disability and care and support needs;
- have a suitable spare room in their home
- have the right values and behaviours to support a person with a learning disability.
Some of the tasks that Shared Lives Carers may need to do:
- support a person with personal care
- medication
- eating and drinking
- preparing food
- domestic tasks
- social visits
- employment
- voluntary work
- family contact.
Shared Lives Stoke will complete a thorough assessment of the potential Shared Lives Carer, which includes a safeguarding check, references, health and safety checks and attending training. Once this had been completed a report will be presented to an independent panel who will then decide if the person can be an approved Shared Lives Carer. Once a person has been approved to be a Shared Lives Carer we begin a matching process.
How will we monitor the service?
As a regulated service with The Care Quality Commission, Shared Lives Stoke will monitor a Shared Lives arrangement. We will make sure that the person accessing the service is happy with their Shared Lives home and that the Shared Lives Carer is carrying out their role properly. Shared Lives Coordinators carry out regular visits to the home, talking to each person involved.
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