Local council celebrates Shared Lives Success
More adults than ever who need additional support to help them stay out of residential care or hospital are now benefiting from a pioneering family-based care scheme.
Certitude has delivered the Shared Lives contract for the London boroughs of Richmond, Hounslow and Wandsworth since February 2017.
Shared Lives is a little known form of social care that offers either permanent support or regular breaks in the home of a local family. A household shares their lives, families, home, interests and skills with other people who need some help and support to live their lives to the full.
Originally the service was designed to help residents with a learning disability or older people with dementia. However, as part of the Council’s plans to reduce the number of people needing to go into long term care the service was expanded in February.
The new service now is available to any adult who needs additional support to help them live in a home setting.
In the past 12 months, over 67 residents have used the service across the three boroughs.