Sharing Magazine Vol 40

Jayne Wilson Director of development, Shared Lives Plus

Welcome to this year’s Spring edition of Sharing Magazine, the first of three editions in 2023. This year at Shared Lives Plus we are motivated more than ever to support our members. As Director of Development, it’s my job to raise the profile of Shared Lives to help grow this fantastic model, but also to make sure we support our carers. We are aware of the problems that both carers and schemes have been facing over the past few years with the challenges of the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis, and we are working hard to support you in those areas.

We launched our invaluable survey towards the end of 2022 and have been massively pleased with the responses we have received. On page 7 we’ll be discussing what you can expect from the campaign moving forward.

In this edition we’ll show you the work that our team and new CEO, Ewan King, have been involved in recently. This includes a recent meeting with Minister for Social Care Helen Whatley resulting from our continued discussions with the DHSC models of care team. We also met with Liz Kendall, Shadow Minister for Social Care, to talk about Labours ‘Home First’ plans and how Shared Lives fits in with this strategy. Such work with decision makers goes on locally too, with meetings with local commissioners, and visits to schemes by MPs and MSP’s.

We have been developing the Shared Lives Plus strategy for 2023-2028. A massive part of this is how we retain the carers we already have and do all we can to support you. I always say to people that if you want to learn about Shared Lives then visit a carers home – it’s the best way to get a true understanding of how Shared Lives works and how wonderful it is.

In this edition you’ll also find our ‘Ask your carer support team’ section, where we’ll be answering some questions we are consistently hearing from carers over the last few months. Considering everything that is going on right now, with cost of living rises and the pressure on the social care sector, we hope that this issue of Sharing can show you how we are working on your behalf to address the issues you’re facing.

Thank you, for everything you do supporting people to live a fulfilling and independent life. We’ll continue to do all we can to support you doing this incredible work.

Take care,

Jayne Wilson Director of development, Shared Lives Plus

Out and about with Ewan King

Visit to Bradford and Wakefield

Hello everyone. I have massively enjoyed my first six months working at Shared Lives Plus. It’s been inspiring visiting both carers and scheme workers. We’re focused on the problems you’re facing and are motivated to support you as much as possible.

Meeting with the Principal Social Workers Network

I visited Bradford to talk to Shared Lives scheme workers, and two people who draw upon the support of Shared Lives; our Ambassador Tom Milnes, and his carer Jo, and Malcolm, who lives with carers Mehnaz and Sajid. Bradford is a large scheme, with about 100 arrangements, but are keen to grow further.

Key issues for them are:

Pay for short breaks.

Training for carers in working with people who have challenging behaviours and mental health.

Support with recruitment.

Meeting with Helen Whately MP

Me and Jayne Wilson, Director of Development for Shared Lives Plus, had a productive meeting with Helen Whately MP, Minister for Social Care, in the House of Commons. We gave her an update on Shared Lives and set out why the Government needed to invest in growing Shared Lives. We hope to report some positive news soon.

We were very happy to be invited to speak at the network by Lyn Romeo, the Chief Social Worker for England. Tom Milnes, Jayne, and I presented about Shared Lives and the value it brings to people’s lives. It was massively positive to see lots of interest.

Visit to Scotland

First up was a visit to Fife Council, who have a long standing and large Shared Lives scheme with about 80 arrangements. Fife are keen to work with us promoting Shared Lives to other parts of Scotland.

The next day I met with Abbi and her Shared Lives carer Louise, who has supported Abbi for over ten years. After meeting Abbi, we met with members of the East Lothian Shared Lives scheme, a small scheme with ambition to grow.

Visit to Northern Ireland

I had a fantastic visit to Northern Ireland. During the visit I met with the service managers of two Shared Lives schemes. Firstly, I met Linda Robinson, the CEO of Age Northern Ireland, who have successfully won the contract to deliver Shared Lives to older people in the nation. Secondly, I met Jane MacMillan, who works for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and is a Shared Lives Plus Board member. It was great to hear about the appetite across Northern Ireland for growing Shared Lives.

Wes gives Shared Lives his support

It was great to meet Wes Streeting, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We talked about the benefits of Shared Lives. Wes went on to visit a local carer and I’m told he left inspired, and subsequently mentioned Shared Lives in one of his fringe speeches. He said he would welcome further discussion in the future about the ideas we have on the reform of adult social care.

Supporting innovation in social care

I visited the London School of Economics to speak to a group of academics, including Professor Jill Manthorpe, Professor of Social Work at Kings College London, to discuss the Supporting Innovation in Social Care Project, or SASCI. SASCI has been set up to research innovative approaches to adult social care. We hope that the findings from this work can help raise awareness of Shared Lives and help support local schemes.

National Children and Adults Services Conference

During the three days at NCAS, we spoke to loads of senior leaders from local government and elsewhere about Shared Lives, and are now booking in calls to discuss how we can help them.

Presentation to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

It was a pleasure to join Kathryn Morgan, Development Manager in Wales, and Tom Milnes, to meet representatives of the Cardiff and Value NHS Board. We discussed how the board can learn from the innovative Southeast Wales mental health crisis service and set up something similar on their patch. The board representatives were very excited about the possibilities of Shared Lives and have asked Shared Lives Plus to prepare a proposal which sets out how we can support them to implement this.

Meeting with NHS Confederation CEO

We recently met with Matthew Taylor, CEO at the NHS Confederation and discussed Growing Shared Lives. Matthew said: “I want to see Shared Lives become a well-recognised feature on the public services landscape –a mainstream option that many thousands more people can benefit from. At the NHS Confederation, we are very keen to see Shared Lives grow.”

Membership benefits

Campaigns and advocacy

Now more than ever it is vital that we are a voice for our members. Our campaigns focus on responding to legal changes affecting our members in every part of the UK, as well as ensuring our carers have the resources to do their job and live a fulfilling life.

We are working on our Invaluable campaign, which is aimed at ensuring all Shared Lives carers are paid fairly, and that they are included in annual social care pay reviews. We have raised the issue of the cost-of-living grant with the Department of Work and Pensions, and we’ll continue

Financial and legal advice

Members have access to free mortgage advice. We understand that many mortgage companies don’t grasp that our carers are living with someone unrelated who isn’t considered a tenant. Our specialist mortgage advisors from Mortgage Brain are here to help guide you through the process with no obligation, whether you are a firsttime buyer, moving home or re-mortgaging.

We also offer free guidance and tax advice about how to register as selfemployed, qualifying for care relief, and how to do an online tax return. If you have a complex arrangement and need a tax return done for you, we are partnered with BK Plus and BW McFarlane who understand your Shared Lives role and can help you out.

Our partners Towergate offer tailored household insurance which recognises the person who lives with you as a member of your family

to highlight areas of policy which exclude Shared Lives carers.

We are allies of the Disability Poverty Campaign Group (DPCG), a new coalition led by Disability Rights UK and Inclusion London. The purpose of the group is to respond to increasing poverty in the Disabled community.

We are working with government colleagues for changes on how universal credit is being rolled out, including the restriction of housing costs and income. We’ll continue to promote the rights of Shared Lives carers and the people they support.

instead of a tenant, meaning you are covered for accidental damages.

As members you also have access to free NI and benefits help from BKPlus, who’s advisors have specialised in self-employed carer finances for over 11 years. You can talk to them about; Income Tax, National Insurance and Benefits.

As well as financial advice our membership also gives you the chance to easily seek legal advice through our Jackson Lees helpline.

Full membership also gives you public liability insurance. This protects Shared Lives carers from claims of alleged negligence that may cause personal injury or property damage. It’s an essential part of your role, and even if your council say they provide it, please make sure it covers Shared Lives. We hope you never have to use it, but if you do we have you covered.

Carer support team

Our carer support team is made up of specialist in-house advisors who are there to listen to you and offer practical advice on day-to-day problems you may encounter. They currently support and advise over 600 Shared Lives carers each year.

Best practice

We offer guidance on best practice on topics ranging from benefits advice, to specialist advice on different support needs, such as dementia. This guidance can be accessed via the membership area on our website.

Wider Wallet

Membership provides access to Wider Wallet, which is packed with ways to save money on everyday purchases and treats, including online discounts, cashback, gift cards and more.

To register and get an access code for Wider Wallet, log in to your membership account and look for ‘discounts and freebies’.

% Blue Light Card

Blue Light Card is the discount service for the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces, providing our members with thousands of amazing discounts online and on the high street. It can be used across thousands of restaurants, shops and venues.

Membership fee increases

Membership fees for Shared Lives Plus will increase by 3% at the beginning of April. This is significantly below the current rate of inflation which stands at 10%. Shared Lives Plus are covering the additional costs of inflation to keep the increase to carers as low as possible, while maintaining our support to you through our great set of membership benefits.

We recognise that everyone is currently going through a tough period, so have kept the fees as low as possible whilst still being able to offer our great set of membership benefits.

Basic carer membership

Single = £68.50

Joint = £84.50

Full carer membership

Single = £108.00

Joint = £118.30

Respite/Short breaks

membership

Single 3 months = £47.50

Single 6 months = £68.00

Joint 3 months = £57.00

Joint 6 months = £78.00

How our carer support team can help

In August last year, Shared Lives carer Anita* reached out to the Shared Lives carer champions through our phone helpline. Anita told carer champion Steve that she was feeling upset after the person she supported made a safeguarding allegation against her.

She was frustrated that her Shared Lives scheme told her they couldn’t reveal any specific details about the allegation. Anita told Steve that all she knew was that Aaron*, her supported person, had disclosed something during day support that had triggered the scheme to raise a safeguarding allegation.

When the scheme concluded that there was not enough evidence of safeguarding issues to remove Aaron from Anita’s home, Anita asked the scheme what Aaron had told the day support worker which raised concern. The scheme told Anita that the local authority had a policy which meant they couldn’t give her any details about the allegation.

Frustrated, Anita reached out to Shared Lives Plus for support, which is when she first spoke to Shared Lives champion Steve. As a carer himself, Steve was able to offer Anita a listening ear. He also asked Anita if she’d like Shared Lives Plus to contact the scheme on her behalf. Anita agreed, and so Rebecca, Shared Lives Plus Membership Support and Engagement Officer, rang the scheme manager. Rebecca explained that Anita was feeling upset about how she had felt under suspicion. She also highlighted that Anita objected to the phrase that there had not been ‘enough evidence to remove’ Aaron from her home, which was included in the safeguarding outcome.

The scheme manager told Rebecca that she understood Anita’s frustrations, and that she herself was in a difficult position not being able to share their findings. Rebecca suggested that it would be good for her to join Anita and her Shared Lives worker in a meeting with the scheme manager. Anita wasn’t sure she wanted a face-to-face meeting but decided to attend with the support of both Steve and Rebecca, who advocated for Anita during the meeting, helping mediate between her and the scheme manager. Although it was a difficult meeting at times, Anita came away reassured that the scheme wanted to support her as much as possible. With the help of her scheme worker, Anita was able to rebuild trust with Aaron who was happy to continue living in her home.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

What is the Shared Lives Plus Invaluable campaign?

Shared Lives carers do an amazing job opening their homes to support people with a diverse range of needs. We believe that care fees, board and lodgings, and housing contributions should be at a level that makes Shared Lives sustainable and attractive for carers. In other words, the money that carers receive should reflect their invaluable work. We also know that the past few years have been tough for everyone, with the pandemic and now the cost-ofliving crisis. Now more than ever, Shared Lives carers need to be adequately compensated for the incredible, person-centred support they offer.

This is why we have relaunched our Invaluable campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to capture as much information about the current conditions for Shared Lives carers’ as possible, and using that data to make change happen.

Launching the survey

Our first step in the campaign was to create and send out two surveys: one for Shared Lives carers, and one for Shared Lives schemes. We asked you, the Shared Lives carers, to tell us about how you’re managing your health, wellbeing, and money, and how often you can take a break. We also asked you to tell us which Shared Lives Plus resources you know about and have used so we can check that we’re communicating in the right way. In the Shared Lives scheme survey, we asked schemes for detailed information about care fees, board and lodgings and housing contributions, respite, and how care is commissioned in their area.

Collecting information

More than 560 Shared Lives carers responded to the carer survey, which is nearly ten percent of our 6,000 carer members. This is the most data we’ve ever collected from Shared Lives carers on any issue and is a representative sample of Shared Lives carers from across the UK. Shared Lives carers from England, Wales and Scotland shared their information and experiences. We have heard from long term, short break and day support carers, from those who are new to Shared Lives, and those who have been with Shared Lives for more than twenty years. We would like to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey. We’ve also had a fantastic response from Shared Lives schemes to our scheme survey in England, and have also collected information from recent surveys in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

What have we found?

After collecting the data, the next step is to look at what Shared Lives carers and Shared Lives schemes have told us about care fees, board and lodgings, housing contributions, respite, and what we can do more of as a membership organisation. This stage of the process is taking considerable time, as it involves checking to make sure we have the most accurate data possible. We’ll also be cross checking what carers and schemes have told us to give us a rounded picture of what is happening across the UK.

How valued do Shared Lives carers feel?

According to the data, there is a very mixed picture about whether Shared Lives carers feel valued, or not. An encouraging 47% of Shared Lives carers told us that they feel either somewhat or highly valued. We know that we can do more to support the 26% of Shared Lives carers who told us they feel not very or not at all valued.

Using information to start making change happen.

Data is an extremely powerful tool for making change happen. Even with this tool, making material changes to conditions for Shared Lives carers is a long-term process, but we’ll continue to work hard to make these changes. The data we have collected can:

Help us map out the areas where Shared Lives carers need the greatest support with care fees, board and lodgings, housing contributions and respite conditions. We’ll start contacting the relevant people to meet with our CEO Ewan King.

Help Shared Lives schemes build stronger business cases for increased funding to take to local decision makers, based on regional break downs.

Harness the views, concerns and hopes of Shared Lives carers when speaking with both local and national decision makers, whilst raising awareness of the barriers to more people becoming carers.

Give us a better understanding of how much Shared Lives carer members access the support offered by Shared Lives Plus, and what we could do better as a membership body.

Capturing this kind of data is just the start of improving our knowledge on Shared Lives carer conditions across the UK. What we now have in place is a strong foundation from which we can build real change. We’ll share more with you in the next edition of Sharing.

Should Board and Lodgings (food and utilities) be included as income for tax purposes?

Ask your carer support team

There has been some inconsistency in advice being given to carers and schemes by HMRC officers on this issue. Our membership team have now found the root of the confusion, outlined below.

The problem:

The issue is that various regional HMRC officers have been quoting different documents.

HMRC officers who state that board and lodgings are exempt have quoted the Employment Income Manual reference EIM50670.

EIM50670 refers to a carer who stays at the property of the person they are providing care for. In this specific scenario, board and lodgings are exempt.

However, as Shared Lives carers provide care from their own home, this does not apply to them.

HMRC officers who state that board and lodgings are not exempt have cited ‘Business Income Manual: Care providers: Shared Lives Adult Placement Care BIM52811’ which explicitly refers to Shared Lives.

Our guidance, written by tax accountants, also quotes BIM52811.

Our actions:

We have requested a meeting with the author of HMRC Business Income Manuals and emailed to highlight the inconsistency in advice being given to Shared Lives carers.

Our partners BKPlus and B W McFarlane are following the Shared Lives Plus guidance around Tax and QCR.

Where advice had been given that didn’t comply with our factsheets, contact has been made with individuals to clarify the situation.

We can confirm that all the details in our Tax factsheet have been rechecked and are correct.

We will re-issue our tax factsheet and highlight the HMRC guidance it is based on.

We will make the tax factsheet more prominent on our website.

Board and Lodgings should be included as income for Shared Lives carers. We are now working with HMRC to ensure there is no further confusion.

Why are we told that we can’t ask for increased contributions from cost-of-living grants being given to those we support?

The cost-of-living grants that people being supported have received/will receive are a one-size fits all for any person receiving benefits. People supported by Shared Lives make up a small percentage of the millions of those receiving benefits nationally, which is why the grants don’t consider the unique set up of Shared Lives. The reason that Shared Lives Plus does not recommend Shared Lives carers ask for any part of a supported person’s grant money is that:

It could leave Shared Lives carers open to allegations of financial abuse according to safeguarding law, as advised by Shared Lives Plus’s legal advisors.

And would also potentially violate the supported persons right to decide what they do with their own money, according to Mental Capacity law.

To protect Shared Lives carers, and the people you support, we have recommended that Shared Lives schemes have a conversation about the grants with supported people, or their financial advocate if they are found not to have capacity on this matter. We have recently updated our easy read documents to provide Shared Lives schemes with a template for these discussions, which were in February’s bulletin and on the membership area of our website.

Why don’t Shared Lives carers receive annual inflationary uplifts in line with other adult social care providers?

Shared Lives Plus advise schemes that they should ensure they’re listed on their local authority’s “Other Provider” list. This will ensure that Shared Lives carers in that scheme would be automatically eligible for any pay reviews given within their authority, though this is against a backdrop of adult social care cuts. See our update on the invaluable campaign (page 7) to see what other work we are doing to help Shared Lives carers obtain fairer pay and conditions.

Do Shared Lives Plus facilitate Schemes getting together and sharing good practice?

Yes, we always encourage schemes to follow best practice guidance. Where we see good examples of this we will share it with other schemes. We do this through regular workshops, webinars, our annual conference, and regional and national scheme meetings.

What does a good scheme look like, and why can’t you enforce schemes to follow this guidance?

Shared Lives Plus guidance provides a framework for the Shared Lives model, but the CQC is the only organisation that has regulatory power. A good scheme will meet the CQC’s essential standards of quality and safety. Shared Lives Plus guidance is written with these standards in mind. We meet with the CQC regularly and have shared our full suite of guidance with them. We’ve asked that when the new inspection framework is introduced that our guidance is used as a reference point.

Shared Lives Plus also offer a service to schemes whereby they can ask for a full review of their policies and procedures. The popularity of this offer is encouraging and is something we push if we feel schemes are moving away from the model.

Are Shared Lives Plus talking to Government?

Last year, in his speech setting out his vision for health and social care, Sajid Javid, then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said that Shared Lives is “an exciting model of social care”, and that he “wants to work with local authorities to grow their Shared Lives service in every area of our country." This recognition opened doors for Shared Lives Plus to talk directly to the government about the model. Conversations with the DHSC have been ongoing.

In February, Ewan King, CEO, and Jayne Wilson, Director of Development, met with Helen Whately, Minister of State for Social Care, and also Liz Kendall, Shadow Minister for Social Care. (See page 3 for more).

Previously Shared Lives attended Parliamentary receptions –what happened to them?

Shared Lives Plus last attended a parliamentary reception in 2018, it was sponsored by Liz Kendall MP. Parliamentary receptions are a good way to promote Shared Lives to MPs but are very costly and rely upon MPs being in London that day and being free to attend at a very specific time. We haven’t ruled out a future event, but at the moment we don’t believe it’s the best way to effect change, especially given the progress we have made in conversations with senior ministers.

What are Shared Lives Plus doing to increase referrals to Shared Lives from Social Workers?

We started our work promoting Shared Lives to Social workers by attending the British Association of Social Workers conference as an exhibitor. Ewan has also had conversations with Chief Social Worker, Lyn Romero (more on page 2).

We understand that the biggest barrier to referrals is a lack of awareness about Shared Lives. We have secured some funding to help us develop a set of resources explaining Shared Lives to Social Workers.

What about Qualifying Care Relief?

Last year we asked members whether we should campaign to increase the amount of Qualifying Care Relief. Most Shared Lives carers who got in touch told us that they would prefer us to focus our efforts on areas with more chance of success and less risk. Although we haven’t been campaigning specifically on QCR, we have been working hard to raise the profile of Shared Lives carers among MPs, ministers, and senior civil servants.We are delighted that in the recent budget government has recognised the contribution Shared Lives carers make to the adult social care sector with an 80% increase in the tax relief threshold. This means that Shared Lives households that support one person will see the amount they could earn before paying tax increase from £23,000 to £41,540. Households that support 3 people will see the amount increase from £49,000 to £88,340.

What is the Blue Light Card and how do I access it?

Blue Light Card is the discount service for the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces, providing our members with thousands of amazing discounts online and on the high street. It can be used across thousands of restaurants, shops and venues.

In total there's 15,000 discounts to choose from. The retailers that participate in the scheme can change regularly, meaning there isn't a comprehensive list of stores you can use it at. So, it's worth checking whether the discount is valid on the store website if you're shopping online, or asking a member of staff when at the till in store.

Some of the popular offers on the site now are:

20% off at JD Sports

20% off food at Chef and Brewer/Hungry

Horse and Flaming grills pubs

10% off in store at Asda

There are also exclusive member days at theme parks such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. On these days the parks close their gates to the general public and open them exclusively to the Blue Light community to enjoy a fun day out with smaller crowds and faster services, all at a reduced ticket price.

Thorpe Park are currently promoting their member days on:

Saturday 4th November - 10am-8pm including FRIGHT NIGHT and mazes - £23pp

Sunday 5th November - 10am-8pm including FRIGHT NIGHT and mazes - £23pp

How can I access a Blue Light card?

First of all, you need a letter of authorisation from Shared Lives Plus. Then for just £4.99 you can register for 2-years access to Blue Light community discounts. For more information or a letter of authorisation, just give our carer support team a ring on 0151 227 3499 or email membership@sharedlivesplus.org.uk

Search keywords: 'Blue Light Card'

Have your say!

Our quarterly Your Voice forums are your opportunity to speak directly to the senior management and a representative of the board from Shared Lives Plus. Shared Lives carers are welcome to drop in occasionally or come to every meeting, as this is the space where you can have your say.

The chair of our Board of Trustees, Richard Jones, has been chairing the Your Voice forums since they began in January 2022. Now the time has come for you, our Shared Lives carer members, to choose a new chair. The new chair of the forum will have a place on the Board of Trustees and their role will be to make sure Shared Lives carers voices are heard and considered in every decision that is made. The chair will hold the position for one year and can be reelected for a maximum of three years.

Our two candidates, Drusilla Lloyd, and Diane Miller have already spoken at the most recent Your Voice forum and met with the Chair and Deputy of the Shared Lives Plus board, as well as our CEO Ewan King. Below, Drusilla and Diane tell you a bit about themselves, and why they want to become the first Shared Lives carer chair of the Your Voice forum, and a trustee of the board.

Shared Lives carer members can vote for Drusilla or Diane online, or by post.

Online voting:

We sent Shared Lives carer members an email with details on how to vote on February 21st. If you did not receive this email and would like to vote online, please get in touch so we can send you a new email.

Postal Voting:

If you want to vote by post, please fill in the ballot slip on page 16 and return it to us by May 2nd 2023

Please note, you may only vote once, and we will count the first vote we receive whether by post or online. Voting closes on 2 May 2023, and the new chair will be officially elected on 9 May.

For support or advice, call the Shared Lives Plus carer helpline on 0151 227 3499 or email membership@sharedlivesplus.org.uk

Search keywords: 'Your Voice Elections'

Candidate One

Drusilla Lloyd

Tell us a bit about where you live:

Originally from Coventry - moved to Powys 47yrs ago near Hay on Wye known for its second-hand book shops holding annual Literature Festivals. So much history and natural beauty around us, never taken for granted. Accessing cities within a 25 radius - having best of both worlds.

Your loves:

My family especially the eight grandchildren - four in Australia and four living close by. Keeping in touch with those in Australia via ‘Portal/ Skype’ is amazing.

Your dislikes:

Automated Telephone Systems when calling a company - then being put on hold for ages.

Jazz music, only because it sounds to my untrained ear like they’re all doing their own thing! Yet impressed that they all fall into rhythm with each other quickly!

Your interests:

My 'She Shed', immersing myself in arts and crafts. Dolls house refurbishment, water colours, sewing! presently making bunting for the King’s Coronation celebrations to be held in our small hamlet where we live.

Election address:

I would like to be your voice to the Shared Lives Board and Trustees. I have worked in the Judicial system for many years chairing many meetings, ensuring all views are heard, respected, and concerns addressed. I've also spent many years assisting young people who have come through the probation system get back into working life and be a part of their community in a positive way. I am also a qualified florist and wedding organiser; I love using my people skills to get to know people and find out what they want and help them achieve it. These skills seem to build me up in other areas me in life's web of wonders.

As a Shared Lives Carer for nearly ten years and Foster Carer before that, for another 13 years. I’ve experienced the highs and lows of supporting people from our homes. It is so important that we are listened to as Carers working on the front line. Living day to day 24/7 within the structure, our feedback is crucial and must be listened to even if nothing can be done to address our concerns it’s important that we understand why things have to be the way they are, so we can at least feel heard and seen.

Shared Lives Plus strengthens the valuable work we do. They operate on what we say and push for the very best for us. It's not always quick or simple for them all the time - but we are that vital link to give them the 'on the ground' conditions of what Caring is all about.

I would like to see improvements to be made in communication, it’s important to remember that not all of us are social media buffs or computer savvy and make more celebrations of success stories will help us remember the amazing work we do in Shared Lives. Shared Lives was recently spoken about in parliament in 2022 and it would be great to build on this momentum, perhaps even by seeing if we can approach a well-known celebrity to adopt us to get us in the media and highlight our work and what we do. I also strongly believe in a supportive mentoring system for new Carers so they are tagged with an experienced Carer for sound advice and support. Having an ear to bend or just a place to let off steam, but hopefully have a laugh and giggle with another Carer in a confidential and respectful space can smooth our journey at times with the people we support.

Candidate Two

Diane Miller

Tell us a bit about where you live:

I live in Carmarthenshire, we moved from Hampshire 15 years ago. We love the area it is quiet, scenic and it is near beaches for walking.

Your loves:

My loves are my 3 little dogs, my family and I like to enjoy life.

Your dislikes:

Cruelty to children and animals. The weather in Wales sometimes the rain but when it is nice it is a great place.

Your interests:

My interests are gardening, walking, going to Cardiff shopping, having lunch out.

Election address:

We moved from Hampshire when I took early retirement from my role as European Fleet Manager for a private equity company. I am used to presenting,

organising and chairing meetings at all levels and resolving day to day situations. When I moved here I worked in Social Services for 5 years, and we decided to Foster, my lad moved into SL 2 years ago. There are several strands to Shared Lives and I want learn how it all fits together so we can understand and work with day to day issues that matter, so we can make a difference. My SL experience is limited, but, I think to me it is clear that due to the lack of support, help is not sometimes at hand, or that we are listened to. Talking to a brick wall feeling?

Together we can listen to and be open to ensure that we all have a voice and those voices are often carers who have a wealth of experience who do feel under valued. I totally understand that some carers can feel awkward at airing their views, and these can get lost in the real world. Approaching the authorities can be a difficult prospect especially when a carer feels they are not supported or valued. As Chair I would like to think we can make a difference and to talk about topics which need addressing are addressed professionally, courteously, confidential and respectfully.

Your Voice election ballot slip

Please complete this ballot slip and return it to us before May 2nd 2023

This information will be used to verify your account details. Once verified, it will be separated from the rest of the ballot slip before votes are counted. Votes from unverified accounts will not be counted.

Your Name ________________

Your Membership number ____________________

Your Membership type: Single Joint Triple

Place across (X) in the box against the candidate you wish to vote for. Single memberships have one vote, joint memberships have two votes and triple memberships have three votes.

Drusilla Lloyd

Candidate two

Diane Miller

(If you are joint members, cross for the 2nd member)

(If you are triple members, cross for the 3rd member)

Return Address

(If you are joint members, cross for the 2nd member)

(If you are triple members, cross for the 3rd member)

1st Member 2nd Member 3rd Member

Candidate one

The impact of childhood experiences

Our Shared Lives carer Champion, Steve Collis, and Engagement and Support Officer, Rebecca Day, were recently invited to meet with Shared Lives carers and scheme workers at PSS Merseyside’s regular carer’s group.

Rebecca writes about their visit

Steve and I recently supported a Shared Lives carer at PSS Merseyside who was going through a particularly tough time, and worked alongside scheme workers at PSS to support the carer. Following this, PSS invited us to meet more of their Shared Lives carers and scheme workers at their regular carer meetups. We jumped at the chance. At our first meetup, PSS invited experienced social worker, Rita, to speak with carers about how negative childhood experiences may affect adults supported within Shared Lives.

Negative childhood experiences

Negative childhood experiences (also known as ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’, or ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. These can include violence, abuse, or growing up in a family with mental health or substance use problems.

Social workers assess young people to see what impact their childhood experiences may have had. They do this by asking a list of ten questions. If a person answers yes to four or more of the questions, their childhood experiences may be having a long-term impact on their health.

What does this mean for Shared Lives carers?

NHS research shows that around 47% of UK adults have lived through a negative or traumatic childhood experience and nearly 10% will answer yes to four or more of the questions. People who have a learning disability, or who grew up in care, are significantly more likely to live with the effects of negative childhood experiences. Many Shared Lives carers support adults who grew up in care or live with a disability. These supported people are more likely to find it difficult to moderate their emotions, recognise healthy relationships, and to develop attachment disorders.

During the training, Rita asked us to imagine we were in the position of a supported person who had experienced a difficult childhood. She encouraged us to think about what it might feel like to carry the weight of that emotional baggage every day.

Steve, an experienced Shared Lives carer, talked about how he tries to do this with every person he supports. At the beginning of each new arrangement he lays out a set of boundaries, or ‘golden rules’. Healthy boundaries can help a supported person feel safe, as they create a predictable and stable environment.

This is particularly important for someone who has experienced negative childhood experiences.

Other Shared Lives carers from PSS Merseyside discussed their different ideas for supporting people living with the impact of negative childhood experiences. Some keep records of times when anything out of the ordinary happens, which allows them to identify any significant changes in behaviour, whilst also making it easier for carers to help scheme workers understand a situation if any difficulties arise between them and the person they support.

What does this have to do with Shared Lives Plus?

Shared Lives carers do an incredible job supporting people with a whole range of needs, including those living with the impact of traumatic childhood experiences. At Shared Lives Plus we want Shared Lives carers to know that you can call us for support. Whether you just want to vent about the day-to-day challenges of supporting adults who may present with demanding behaviour, or you need help communicating with your scheme, we are here to listen.

We have three people dedicated to supporting Shared Lives carers – our two carer champions, Steve and Helen, as well as me, Rebecca, the Engagement and Support Officer. Between us we have many years of experience either supporting people within Shared Lives or working within children’s and adult's mental health. We regularly support Shared Lives carers on a whole range of issues, from safeguarding allegations, and challenging behaviours, to pay issues and facilitating discussions with schemes. We can also point you in the direction of tax and benefits support, or to our legal helpline if needed.

We can support you to set up a Shared Lives carer group if there isn’t one in your area. Shared Lives carers continue to tell us they are missing the peer support which disappeared during lockdown. We have lots of ideas on how you can inject some energy into an existing group, such as asking someone like Rita to come and share their knowledge. We are looking forward to meeting with Shared Lives carers in Stockport later this month, and then zooming with carers in Essex. If you’d like us to pop along to your group, just let us know. And if you have any questions at all, just give us a call!

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Champion's corner

Steve Collis

Happy Belated New Year!

Since the last time I wrote to you it’s been a very busy period for me as a champ. I’ve been helping carers with questions about the cost of living, and how cost of living payments were being made straight to the people we care for, and not to the utilities bill payer. I can completely understand your frustration with this. Like everyone I’m finding it tough making ends meet.

The original issue is that payments were paid in a blanket way to all people on qualifying benefits. It wasn’t considered that the people we support are often very vulnerable and have appointees. I hope you had a chance to see our advice on page 10. My colleagues have been working a great deal with the Department for Work and Pensions. We’ll keep working to support you on all issues surrounding benefits and cost of living payments.

Dates for our new carer inductions have been confirmed, and as carer champions we’ll be supporting new carers through this process. You can find the dates on page page 20

The gentlemen I support continue to thrive and are both looking forward to spring and starting outdoor activities again. Fishing has been mentioned! One of my five dogs has just had a big birthday. Tula (R) turned 19 and is still going strong. She had a trip to the vets and came away with a clean bill of health. She still runs on the beach with her son Moley (L) every day.

I hope by the time I next write to you the weather will be better and we’ll all be feeling more positive about life.

As usual I’ll hand over to fellow carer champion Helen.

Helen Piscioneri

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Hello everyone, My highlight of January was when I travelled to Liverpool for our Shared Lives Plus staff gathering. I finally met colleagues that I’ve worked with for over three years but had never met face to face. I even met our wonderful ambassadors who are just amazing. Our time in Liverpool was very full on, productive and much fun!

Things are always changing in our Shared Lives world. At times change can cause us confusion, stress or worry so please don’t be afraid to call our helpline. Both me and Steve have a huge set of listening ears!

Take care until next time.

For support or advice, call the Shared Lives Plus carer helpline on 0151 227 3499 or email membership@sharedlivesplus.org.uk

2023 Key dates for your diary

Here are the key dates listed on the right. This calendar only shows the months from AprilNovember 2023

Key dates categories:

Carer Your Voice

Scheme Your Voice

Carer Inductions

National Carer Week

Carers Rights Day

Shared Lives Week

Shared Lives week 2023

Shared Lives Week is our annual flagship campaign to celebrate everyone living in and supporting Shared Lives care, and to show our gratitude for the amazing work of our Shared Lives carers.

More details to follow If you have any ideas of what could be included in this years

Shared Lives Week, please email press@sharedlivesplus.org.uk

April

5th - Carer inductions - Midday

17th - Carer inductions - 10am

20th - Carer Your Voice

27th - Scheme Your Voice

May

3rd - Carer inductions - Midday

15th - Carer inductions - 10am

31st - Carer inductions - Midday

June

5th - 11th - National Carers Week

12th - Carer inductions - 10am

28th - Carer inductions - Midday

26th - 30th - Shared Lives week

July 12th - Scheme Your Voice (TBC)

20th - Carer Your Voice (TBC)

September 8th - Scheme Your Voice (TBC)

16th - Carer Your Voice (TBC)

October 11/12th - Conference

November 23rd - Carers Rights Day

Useful phone numbers

Membership enquiries:

Shared Lives Plus Office 0151 227 3499 membership@ sharedlivesplus.org.uk

Shared Lives Plus carer helpline:  0151 227 3499

A message will be taken and one of the carer support team will call you back

Mortgage advice:

Mortgage Brain: Katie/Marcus 0800 987 1700

Benefit advice:

Jackson Lees 0151 541 0240

UK tax return service:

NB There is a charge for this service

BK Plus: Pat Lewis 0121 828 6058 currently £160 inc. VAT.

BWM Accountants: Sue Stephens 0151 236 1494 currently £240 inc. VAT

Legal advice:  General telephone legal advice on any legal matter, including de-approval

Jackson Lees 0151 541 0240 where you will be put through to the relevant department

For legal expenses enquiries 0330 303 1876

To make a claim on your legal expenses cover: ARAG 0117 917 1698

Insurance:

Towergate main line 0113 236 8603

Public liability queries: Mark Taylor 07816 241 446

For Household/Travel/ Motor Insurance:

Christine Howard 0113 236 8603

Christine.Howard@ towergate.co.uk

www.sharedlivesplus.org.uk

info@sharedlivesplus.org.uk

Shared Lives Plus

G04, The Cotton Exchange Old Hall Street

Liverpool

L3 9JR 0151 227 3499

Reg Charity number (England and Wales) 1095562

Company number 4511426

Reg Charity number (Scotland) SC042743