We are a growing Shared Lives Scheme building an innovative service across Dudley and Wolverhampton
07/03/2026
🌟 What It Looks Like to Live With Shared Lives 🌟
Today, we’re celebrating Bella — someone who has opened her heart and her home to people through Shared Lives for over 20 years.
For Bella, this has never been “just a job.”
It’s a vocation.
A lifestyle.
A choice to spend her life walking alongside others, providing support, companionship, stability, and love in a truly unique way.
💛 In this video, you’ll get a glimpse into what Shared Lives looks like through Bella’s eyes — the laughter, the routines, the shared cups of tea, the challenges and triumphs, and above all, the genuine connections that form when people choose to live life together.
Shared Lives isn’t a service you clock in and out of. It’s a community built on trust, respect, and the belief that everyone deserves to live the life they choose — in a place they can call home.
✨ Thank you, Bella, for two decades of kindness, commitment, and extraordinary care. You embody what Shared Lives is all about. ❤️
06/03/2026
🌟 Recommend a Friend and Earn £150! 🌟
Do you know someone with a big heart and a passion for making a difference in the lives of others? Our Shared Lives program is looking for compassionate carers, and we need your help to find them! 🤗
If you are a Shared Lives Carer and you refer a friend who becomes successfully assessed and approved at our panel, you'll receive a £150 thank you from us! It's our way of showing appreciation for your support in growing our amazing community of carers.
👉 How to Refer:
🏷Tag your friend in the comments below or send us a direct message with their contact details.
💬Make sure they mention your name when they apply.
Help us spread the word and connect with more caring individuals who want to make a positive impact. Thank you for being a part of our Shared Lives family! ❤️
02/03/2026
🏠Your spare room could be someone’s sanctuary 🏠
If you have a downstairs bedroom and a passion for helping others, Shared Lives wants to hear from you.
🛏️ Make your home a place of hope.
28/02/2026
🌙 Ramadan Mubarak to all our Shared Lives families, friends and followers who are observing the fast. We wish you a peaceful and joyful month ahead.
Ramadan, which began on 17 February this year, is about much more than fasting from dawn until sunset. It is a time of reflection, patience, gratitude and self‑discipline. Through fasting, many are reminded of the challenges faced by those who have less, inspiring acts of kindness, charity and compassion.
To everyone observing—may this holy month bring you blessings, strength and serenity. 🌙✨
27/02/2026
🌟 Shared Lives Skills Event Success 🌟
Shared Lives is all about opening doors, offering adults with learning disabilities the chance to live as part of a family, build independence, and develop skills for everyday life.
Recently, people we support, our incredible Shared Lives Carers, and our dedicated Shared Lives team came together with colleagues from Ashfield Gardens for a brilliant Shared Lives skills event.
This was co-production in action. The day was led by people with lived experience, with Katie, our Shared Lives Ambassador and a person we support, speaking at the event and helping shape the conversations. Her voice, insight and experience were at the heart of the day, making the learning meaningful and truly collaborative.
Together, we explored new skills and practical knowledge, from pathways into employment to staying safe from fraud and scams, all in a supportive, inclusive space.
And the best part? We enjoyed it all while soaking up the beautiful surroundings (and friendly animals) at Ashfield Gardens, our social farm and gardens in Stourbridge where people we support take part in horticulture and animal husbandry programmes.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the day so special 💛
25/02/2026
🌿 Connecting With Nature for Positive Wellbeing 🌿
Sometimes the simplest moments outdoors can make the biggest difference. Whether it’s a walk through the park, tending to a garden, or just sitting outside listening to the birds, spending time in nature can have a real impact on our mood, confidence and overall wellbeing.
For the people we support — and for all of us — being outdoors offers space to breathe, relax, and reconnect. Fresh air, gentle movement and natural surroundings can help reduce stress, lift spirits and encourage a sense of calm.
At Camphill Village Trust, we see every day how small experiences in nature can support positive mental and emotional wellbeing. A moment outside can be a moment of joy, grounding, and connection.🌼
24/02/2026
💜 Shared Lives is recruiting! 💜
If you have space in your home and room in your heart, you could make a life‑changing difference as a Shared Lives Carer.
Find out more or get in touch with the team today — we’d love to hear from you.
23/02/2026
🎉 Shared Lives Carer Lin has been celebrating in style! 🎉
Lin recently marked her birthday with a brilliant 80s‑themed party — complete with neon colours, big hair and plenty of glitter face paint. She kindly shared some fantastic photos with the Shared Lives team, showing just how much fun was had on the night.
Lin is a great example of how Shared Lives Carers bring their own personality, energy and warmth into the people they support — both in daily life and in moments of celebration.
Thank you, Lin, for sharing your snaps and for everything you do as part of the Shared Lives community. Happy Birthday!! 🎉
21/02/2026
🌟 Did you know? Shared Lives isn’t fostering – but it does offer the same warmth, stability and personalised support. 🌟
The difference?
In Shared Lives, you support an adult who has full choice and control over their life — from how they spend their time to where they want to live. 🏡✨
As young people in care approach 18, it’s crucial to plan for what comes next. For some, Shared Lives is the perfect option: a stable, adult‑focused home environment that builds independence, confidence and long‑term relationships. 💛
Curious to learn more or think Shared Lives could be right for someone you support?
Drop a comment or send us a message — our team would love to chat. 👇
Become a Shared Lives carer! Our Shared Lives for Young People Leaving Care Programme supports care-experienced young people with a learning disability, auti...
20/02/2026
🎉 Wonderful News for Camphill Village Trust Shared Lives! 🎉
We’re delighted to welcome three newly approved Shared Lives households who joined us last week! 🏡✨
A huge congratulations to our new carers, who are opening their homes and hearts to support more adults across Dudley and Wolverhampton. Your commitment makes such a meaningful difference, and we’re so proud to have you as part of our Shared Lives community. 💙
19/02/2026
🌟 What an amazing day at our Shared Lives Skills Event! 🌟
People we support, our incredible Shared Lives Carers, our team from Shared Lives and Ashfield Gardens came together to learn new skills — from exploring pathways into employment to staying safe from fraud and scams.
And the best part? We enjoyed it all while soaking up the beautiful surroundings (and friendly animals!) at Ashfield Gardens 🐾🌿
Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the day so special! 💛
Camphill Village Trust
06/02/2026
- a reminder that talking about mental health matters. 🗨️
People with learning disabilities are more likely to experience mental health difficulties, but it can be harder for them to get the support, understanding, or diagnosis they need. Traditional therapies or resources aren’t always accessible, and conversations about mental health aren’t always easy to start.
That’s why it’s so important to keep talking about health inequalities and to make mental health conversations accessible for everyone. A simple "how are you?", really listening and taking time to make conversations about mental health accessible through approaches like short, open questions, visual aids and hands-on activities can all make a positive difference.
At Camphill Village Trust, we support adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs in communities across England. Every day, we bring people and nature together through social care, creative activities and welcoming community spaces. The nature‑based care we offer is all about wellbeing, inside and out. Research shows that spending time in nature can positively support mental and emotional health. Community is at the heart of who we do, too, creating more opportunity for conversations about mental health 💚
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Camphill Village Trust Shared Lives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Practice
Send a message to Camphill Village Trust Shared Lives:
As a starting point, Shared Lives can be described as a little bit like ‘foster care for adults who have additional and/or complex needs’…. but it’s so much more than that, as we enable the person to make their own choices in life, take control and maximise their independence. The person is carefully matched to stay with specially trained Shared Lives Carers who provide individual support to develop practical skills, encourage new social networks, build self-esteem and lead the same ordinary life at the heart of the community just like you and me. When someone comes to stay with the Shared Lives Carer(s) on either a Live-In, Short-Break or Day-Care basis, we call this an ‘Arrangement’. There is a maximum of up to three people living/staying within a household at any one time.
In Shared Lives, the goal is for everyone to feel a sense of belonging, have opportunity to be valued as part of family life and be actively involved with the local community. We support anybody from the age of 18 years old, though we will start preparatory work with young adults who are making the transition to Adult Services. Whilst Shared Lives is traditionally a service for people with learning disabilities, the team have experience of setting up Arrangements for people with mental ill health, early-on-set dementia, hospital discharges, older people, physical disabilities, people on the Autistic Spectrum and those with other complex support needs.
Currently, there are approximately 12,000 adults being supported by around 9,000 Carers in Shared Lives Arrangements across England and the sector has grown by 30% over the last few years. When living in a Shared Lives Arrangement, people are known to lead longer, healthier and happier lives, which provides a real alternative to more traditional settings such as hospital or residential care. 96% of all Shared Lives Schemes inspected by the Care Quality Commission are rated as Good or Outstanding and the model has the lowest amount of Safeguarding incidents in comparison to all other forms of Adult Social Care. On average, placing someone in a Shared Lives Arrangement, can save Local Authorities/NHS up to £26K annually, in comparison to other forms of long-term care.
To become a Shared Lives Carer, you don’t need any qualifications or experience of working in the care industry (though it can help), you just need the right values, dedication…and of course a spare room!!! You should be over 21 years of age, be able to read and write English and be committed to undertaking training and supervision for the continued development of your role. Shared Lives Carers are not paid by the hour, there is no ‘clocking on and clocking off’ when you are supporting someone from within your own home, but it’s a hugely rewarding role!!! Shared Lives Carers have self-employed status and qualify for tax relief from HMRC. You are paid according to the level of support you provide, which can sometimes include personal care, often between £370-£560 per week. You can even continue with your current employment and be a Shared Lives Carer at the same time.
You will need to complete an Enhanced DBS Check, self-declaration of health, as well as provide employer/personal references and relevant insurance cover. The Scheme worker will then write an assessment report that will include your life history, employment career and identify your values and motivations for wanting to become a Carer. We will provide you with a comprehensive Induction programme, where groups discussions will focus on roles and responsibilities, ethical dilemmas, safeguarding and communication skills, and medication administration etc. An Independent Panel made up of local people with an interest in Shared Lives will interview you and then approve your status as a Carer. From start to finish, the whole process takes between 3-6 months.
When we match someone to stay with a Shared Lives Carer, we sometimes have to consider, but not always necessarily so, cultural/religious differences, age, gender, complexity of support needs, daily routines, skillset and experience of the Shared Lives Carer, home location, pets, interests and extended family/social networks. You may have to wait a little while whilst we find the right match, as we are not in the business of putting square pegs in round holes. We are sure you appreciate that when we bring people together, we need to check everybody is happy first, as this underpins the longevity and success of each Arrangement. Being part of a wider charity means there is also opportunity to access all the activities at our Stourbridge Community as well as connect to an already established network of support.
If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Carer with CVT Shared Lives, then visit our website at: www.cvt.org.uk/sharedlives and give us a call on 01384 441 505 or follow us on twitter: @CVTSharedLives
