Shared Lives Carer

Cumberland Council; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumberland Council is seeking a Shared Lives Carer to provide flexible, person-centred support in your own home for adults with additional needs. The role can be tailored to your other commitments and family responsibilities while remaining part of the Shared Lives team.

You'll be self-employed, benefit from tax advantages, and support long-term arrangements with up to 28 nights of paid respite. DBS checks and home health and safety assessments are part of the process, with ongoing supervision

Qualifications

• Anyone over 18 can become a Shared Lives Carer.
• You would be self-employed and receive tax benefits.
• Long term carers receive 28 nights paid respite.

Responsibilities

• Provide living with someone, spend week or weekend with them.
• Support someone to develop living skills and hobbies.
• Offer companionship at events and holidays.
• Operate under supervision of Shared Lives scheme worker.
• Complete the DBS and safety checks with the scheme team.

Job description

Shared Lives Carer

Job description

Shared Lives Carer

Are you looking for an opportunity to make a real difference to someone's life?

Have you ever thought about being a Shared Lives Carer?

What is a Shared Lives Carer?

Being a Shared Lives Carer is a unique experience and the type of support you offer can be flexible to meet your own personal circumstances. The role can fit around other work commitments and family responsibilities and be provided right from your own home.

The care provided by you could include having someone live with you spend the week or weekend with you or meeting up with someone once or twice a week. You would support someone to enhance their living skills help develop new skills support someone with their hobbies such as fell walking crafts sports shopping or to enjoy activities like going to the cinema concerts the pub and holidays or even supporting them with a work placement or volunteering job. The type of support you have to offer can be discussed with our team and we encourage people from all backgrounds with different skills and interests.

You could support anyone over the age of 18 with additional needs such as learning disabilities mental health dementia or physical disabilities. This is all done with the supervision and guidance of a Shared Lives scheme worker.

How to become a Shared Lives Carer

Anyone over the age of 18 can become a Shared Lives Carer and our carers come from a variety of backgrounds. They can be people who are working or not people from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds couples with or without children at home single people grandparents and single parents so finding childcare would not be an issue.

You can work from home choose your own hours and you don't need to have substantial experience working in care as full training will be given and ongoing support is readily available from the Shared Lives Team.

Everyone applying to the scheme will be carefully assessed. This will include a full DBS check home health and safety check and personal health checks. All information is kept confidential.

During the assessment you will build a relationship with your scheme worker who will then represent you at a panel for approval. This can take 2-3 months.

Who are we looking for?

We welcome people from all walks of life to support our service and become a Shared Lives carer. Each carer develops a personal profile which is used to match them with an individual requiring support based on common interests location and support needs.

For long term and respite support a spare bedroom is essential.

As a Shared Lives carer, you are self-employed and receive tax benefits. Long term carers benefit from 28 nights paid respite.

You will have the opportunity to become a shared lives plus member which can support you with advice about the legal and tax arrangements - you'll also receive many discounts and access to a whole community of Shared Lives carers for advice if you join.

Access to training courses as well as peer group meetings arranged by your scheme worker.

You will be a part of a service regulated by the CQC and have a dedicated scheme worker to talk through anything you're not sure about and celebrate your successes.

Allowance and discretionary payments information

An allowance of up to £687 per week for long term arrangements

An allowance of up to £779 per week / £111 per night for respite arrangements

up to £12.70 per hour day support

All payments made for support provided are Tax Free

Location: Cumberland