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Quick guidance regarding Shared Lives Schemes for practitioners

Shared Lives

Shared Lives Camden is a service where adults with care needs are given the opportunity to live in the homes of people who will support them.  People with care needs will share a home with a carer and in some instances the carer and their family and will be supported to lead an independent, healthy life as part of the community.  These arrangements can be short stays and something more long-term. 

For more information regarding shared lives please email the shared lives team sharedlives@camden.gov.uk.  You can also watch a video about shared lives here

The Shared lives scheme is not a quick fix and is not a scheme that can be used for emergency placements, nor is it 24-hour support as carers need a good work life balance. 

People being considered for placement need to be able to have their needs met within a home environment. Highly complex needs are unlikely to be able to be managed within shared lives below is a list of needs that cannot be met through the shared lives scheme.

Sleeping Patterns

  • Wakeful people where the carer might be disturbed most nights.
  • Where Telecare cannot be provided to accommodate night time needs.

 

Behaviours needing complex support

  • Regular smearing/bodily fluid discharge.
  • Frequent self-harm.
  • Unpredictable physical/verbal aggression towards others.
  • Extreme Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
  • Excessive/frequent absconding.

 

Risk to Others

  • Criminal Record (Non-Minor).
  • Perceived / Historic risk towards children.
  • Perceived / Historic risk towards vulnerable persons.

 

Last updated: 25 May 2023