Hove charity Grace Eyre is calling on more people to consider becoming carers for Shared Lives Week.
The Grace Eyre Foundation is joining national charity Shared Lives Plus in trying to recruit more paid carers to support people with a variety of care needs to live in the community.
Shared Lives carers are self-employed, given training and support and paid £350 to £650 a week for each adult supported in their home.
Grace Eyre’s Shared Lives programme is aimed at creating a stepping stone to independent living for adults with learning disabilities by moving them in with a carer.
One of those already taking part in the scheme as Shared Lives carer, Hannah Pontillo, lives with her young family in Brighton, while supporting two adults, Sheila and Iris.
Ms Pontillo said: “As I have a four-year-old son and want to work in health and social care, being a Shared Lives carer is the perfect blend for me as I can work from home and bring up my son at the same time.
“I enjoy it because I get to see the reward of the people who live with me being independent and happy and seeing the small changes that I do to make a positive impact in their life but also being able to raise my family, work from home and have fun while doing it.
“When researching Shared Lives schemes, I chose Grace Eyre because I liked their morals and the ethics behind their work.
“At my induction, I got to meet different people and it felt like one big, happy family workplace.
“I like that I can still be a mum and have a social life but can share that with people and encourage them. Seeing their improvement is as much of a reward as anything.”
Grace Eyre’s Shared Lives programme is the oldest and longest running in the country, the concept having been created by founder Grace Eyre Woodhead.
David Matthews, head of Shared Lives at Grace Eyre, said: “Shared Lives is a great, fulfilling way to earn an income from home that can fit with your lifestyle.
“Grace Eyre offers carers full training, induction and ongoing support, as well as access to a network of other carers.”
Ewan King, from Shared Lives Plus, said: “We’re looking for people who are practical, sociable, patient and can offer flexible but regular support.
“Shared Lives carers receive a fee and benefit from the many perks of being self-employed.
“In Shared Lives, the focus is on supporting someone to be confident and thrive in their everyday life.
“Whether you’ve worked in a caring profession before or not, you can use your skills gained elsewhere to make a real difference to yours and someone else’s life.”
The charity highlighted another example – Shannon and Sarah who live with Tracey in Brighton. They are supported to take part in horse carriage racing together.
They care for the horses, prepare equipment, practice for competitions and, importantly, spend time outdoors being active.
Shared Lives carers must be over 18 but do not need specific qualifications and those who don’t have a spare room can still support someone through the Shared Lives Kinship programme.
To find out more about becoming a carer through Grace Eyre Shared Lives, go to www.grace-eyre.org/shared-lives.
