Shared Lives Plus, the UK membership charity for Shared Lives schemes and Shared Lives carers, is using Shared Lives week 2025 to tackle the myth that people supported through Shared Lives are strangers.
This year’s theme continues the successful #WeAreSharedLives campaign, highlighting how Shared Lives carers and the people they support form strong, lasting relationships, made possible through a careful and person-centred matching process.
“The idea that you just welcome a stranger into your home couldn’t be further from the truth,” says Ewan King, Chief Executive of Shared Lives Plus. “In Shared Lives, people meet gradually, take time to get to know one another, and only move forward when everyone feels ready. That’s what makes these relationships so powerful – they’re built on trust, choice and real connection.”
Shared Lives carers open their homes and lives to support people with care or support needs – from young adults leaving care, to people with a learning disability, mental ill health, or older people living with dementia. They offer everything from day support and short breaks to full-time care – always backed by their local Shared Lives scheme.
Every Shared Lives arrangement is carefully selected. Local schemes introduce people based on shared values, personalities, and lifestyle – not just care needs. Matches are made in a similar format you’d take when choosing a housemate, partner or friend. That’s why Shared Lives often leads to long-term, life-changing relationships.
What makes Shared Lives different is the matching and preparation process:
· Shared values and lifestyle: Matches are based on mutual interests, routines, and personalities.
· Gradual introductions: People spend time together, including overnight stays, before making any decisions.
· Choice and control: No one is placed. Every arrangement is mutual, and everyone has a say.
Tricia and Alistair, Shared Lives carers in the Scottish Borders, know how important this process is. They were matched with Archie, a young man looking for a long-term supportive home, by Cornerstone Shared Lives.
“Matching a young person is probably not an easy job,” says Alistair, “but the process went at our speed and Archie’s – we were never rushed.”
The couple met Archie and his family, had a few visits, walks and sleepovers, and things began to feel natural. “We all bonded right away,” says Patricia. “It was as easy as that.”
“Now he’s definitely part of our family,” says Alistair. Tricia agrees: “A stranger that becomes family is no longer a stranger.”
“We work closely with each carer and person supported to make sure every match is right,” says Marissa Speed, Shared Lives Lead, from Cornerstone. “We don’t just look at needs – we look at who people are, what they love, how they live and involve them fully in the whole process. That’s how we create matches that truly work.”
Shared Lives is increasingly appealing to people looking for more meaningful work, greater flexibility, and a way to make a difference. And it works:
· 90% of Shared Lives carers stay in their role year-on-year
· 96% of services are rated good or outstanding
· It is consistently highlighted as one of the UK’s safest, most highly rated forms of regulated adult social care
Shared Lives Week 2025 runs from 23rd–27th June, with community events, videos and stories shared online to show how Shared Lives changes lives.
Interested in becoming a Shared Lives carer? Visit www.startyoursharedlife.today to learn more.
