Why continue to provide a long term placement with Shared Lives?
The Shared Lives scheme enables young adults with learning disabilities, who have ongoing care needs, in foster placements to continue to live with their carer’s in the same family unit. This long-term fostering placement transitions into a long-term Shared Lives placement.
Benefits to transitioning to a Long Term Shared Lives placement:
- When ‘everything changes’ ,Shared Lives is consistent
- Stability for individual & Carer during transition
- Individual to remain in their home with their carer/s
- Develop indepedence skills and build confidence throughout adulthood
- Smooth transition process from Children’s to Adults – 16 years onwards
- Individuals to get the support at the time they need it
- Carers will become Shared Lives Carers - opening other opportunities to develop with training, support, befriending other carers and access to Shared Lives Plus resources
- Ability for Carers to continue to foster if they want to
- Carers to be able to provide well led, responsive, effective, caring and a safe service
- Carers recieve four weeks paid holiday
Make new friends or develop a relationship that could last a lifetime- Access wider community
- Develop a new social activity
- Learn new skills
- Consistent and continued support
- Feel like a valued member of the family and household
There is more information about transtitions in this short video developed by Shared Lives Plus.
See our transition to long-term placements guide. 
