Who are we?

We are the West Sussex County Council Shared Lives Scheme. We manage a service that recruits, assesses, trains, monitors and supports approved Shared Lives Carers to provide a range of accommodation, care and support using their own home to share their lives with individuals who need care and support. 

How does the service work?

The Shared Lives Scheme is registered, regulated and inspected with the Care Quality Commission and is able to provide ‘personal care’.

Shared Lives Carers are approved members of the Shared Lives Scheme and offer a range of services including:

• Short-breaks or short-term accommodation with care and support.
• Long-term accommodation with care and support.
• Day time support known as Day Share (using the Shared Lives Carer's home as a base and spending time in the community).

If a person lives in a Shared Lives Carer's own home on a long or short-term basis, they would have the privacy of their own room. They would share the day-to-day lives of the Shared Lives Carer and their families and join in community life. They would be supported and encouraged to make their own choices and to live as independently and safely as possible.

The Shared Lives Carer will own or rent their own property and are paid for their care, support, accommodation, utilities and food.