What is Shared Lives and how much do carers get paid?

What does Shared Lives mean?

Shared Lives is a care service that recruits and trains Shared Lives carers support you if you are a young person or adult who cannot live independently without support.

A Shared Lives carer can provide day support, short breaks or long-term support for one or more adults.

Once a carer is matched with you, you can visit or live with the Shared lives carer in their home with their family. You and the Shared Lives carer, must be happy about who you are going to live with or visit. 

If you are an adult needing support, you may: 

• Be a regular visitor to the carer’s home for day support but may not live with the carer. 
• Stay overnight in their home for a specific number of nights a week /month. 
• Live in the carer’s home temporarily as a short break (respite for usual carer).  
• Live in the carer’s home as part of a long-term placement.    

Who can benefit from Shared Lives?

If you need support, you may have learning disabilities, physical disabilities, dementia, mental health issues, alcohol/drug dependence or other conditions that make it harder for you to live alone.

Shared Lives may also benefit a young person who has left the care system and needs somewhere to live and a family environment.

This care service is open to you if you have been assessed under the Care Act (2014) with a care needs assessment and referred by your local authority. 

What do Shared Lives carers do? 

• Carers often treat you like part of their own family. They may even go on holiday with you, take you out shopping, to the cinema and to family celebrations like birthday parties. 
• Support you can receive may include personal care (help having a shower, getting dressed), medicine management, meal preparation, assistance to attend medical appointments, social activities, pursue hobbies, education and work opportunities.    
• A Shared Lives carer has the flexibility to decide how much work they take on. This includes how many people they care for, how often and for how long. 

Who funds Shared Lives? 

Local authorities are investing in these care services. 

• The carer is paid for the care they provide to someone. This is based on that person’s local authority care assessment of what support they need.
• An adult needing support will contribute towards accommodation and living costs from their housing benefit part of Universal Credit, ESA – Employment Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Severe Disability Premium.

How much do Shared Lives carers get paid?  

Share Lives carers are self-employed. They receive a fee, rather than being paid a salary.

Carers are not employed by the Shared Lives scheme or the person they are caring for. 

The carers are paid by the Shared Lives scheme. This is usually funded by the local council or NHS. Continuous work cannot be guaranteed for a carer.   

• A carer can earn between £350 – £650 a week per person when someone lives with them.
• A carer can receive payments for one or more people visiting them regularly or living with them.
• Carers are paid a fixed fee to support someone living with them.
• Carers receive a financial contribution towards their accommodation/rent and household costs e.g. food, electricity and water.

Tax breaks for carers

An increase to the Shared Lives tax break was announced by the government in 2023. The government has increased the tax relief threshold known as Qualifying Care Relief (QCR) for Shared Lives carers.

If carers’ income in a tax year is less than the qualifying amount, they don’t have to make any Class 4 National Insurance contributions or pay any Income Tax on a Shared Lives income.

Can anyone be a Shared Lives carer? 

Carers must: 

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have a good-sized spare bedroom.
• Be a full-time UK resident or have leave to remain.
• Have the time to care for someone.

• Yes, anyone can become a Shared Lives carer. However, if someone has a criminal conviction that relates to an offence against children or vulnerable adults or a sexual offence, they cannot be a Shared Lives carer.   
• You must be trained and assessed by a Shared Lives scheme before being approved as a Shared Lives carer. 
• No qualifications or experience are required to be a Shared Lives carer but you will receive training. Mandatory training includes First Aid, Medication Awareness, Food Safety, Hydration, Nutrition, Infection Control, Moving and assisting, Safeguarding Adults. 

Shared Lives schemes are inspected and regulated by England’s Care Quality Commission (CQC).  If you would like to become a Shared Lives Carer, contact Shared Lives Plus. It has a network of carers across the UK.    

What is it like to live with a Shared Lives carer?  

A carer can share not just their home but also their family life with you. This happens as a Shared Lives carer builds a good relationship with you. 

The benefits of this scheme include helping you to grow in confidence, become independent, socialise, make new friends, learn new skills, improve educational and employment opportunities.    

Shannon: ‘It’s changed my life for the better’

Kuldip lives in Godalming, Surrey has been a Shared Lives carer for seven years with Surrey Choices Shared Lives. 

The former foster carer decided to make a career change, so she become a Shared Lives carer after her grandchildren came to live with her.  

Kuldip shared her home and has given support to Shannon. 

Kuldip said: “I was always interested in people with learning disabilities, mental health [conditions].
“I like to do things with them together with them, like cooking, shopping and going out, sitting down, talking about your day.” 

Shannon said: “It’s changed my life for the better. I had so much trouble in my life. Since I’ve been here she’s taught me how to do things that I couldn’t do. Like help me to cook properly, do my cleaning, and doing what she does best. 

“She treats me like her own granddaughter. She welcomed me so much since I’ve been here”.   

Kuldip added: “I don’t feel like I do anything special and to me I mean I like challenge. I like to get the best of everything. You know I don’t like to give in. I just see what I can do, do your best.

“As long as I can, you know walk and I can do things, I’ll carry on doing it. I enjoy doing what I’m doing”.