Carers can come from any background and will have a passion for supporting people and their community.  Carers will generally be Camden citizens with a spare room that they wish to offer.

Often carers will be people with a care background, either formal or informal, for example the carer may have previously been a foster carer, where once the child reached 18 decided to remain with their carer into adulthood. 

All carers are self-employed, they can register interest with the shared lives team and after they have registered the assessment process will begin.  Lengthy checks are carried out to see if the person would make a good shared lives carer and if there are any training needs, this takes 3-6 months to complete. 

Here is a bullet pointed step by step process regarding the employment process for carers:

• Initial discussion about shared lives and explain expectations.
• Complete assessment.
• Checks - DBS, medical, financial, H&S in the home, references.
• Carer to be approved at an independent panel.
• Identify training needs and set a training schedule.
• Begin matching process

It takes time to get the correct match when placing a person with a carer. The process can be slow but vital to get longevity and ensure both parties can form a good bond.

Further information on how to become a carer can be found on the Camden Council website

Payment for carers are split into 3 areas:

1. Food and utilities costs – This is an agreed fixed amount which is paid directly to the carer by the person in the arrangement.
2. Rent – This is paid directly to the shared lives carer, usually funded by housing benefit.
3. Care/support element – This is funded by Camden Council subject to a financial assessment on the person being placed.
4. Shared lives can be self-funded for persons over the saving threshold.