Shared Lives South West

About Shared Lives South West

Shared Lives South West (formerly known as SWAPS – the South West Adult Placement Scheme) was set up in 2004.  The organisation is a registered charity and is registered with the Care Quality Commission.  

We specialise in the provision of Shared Lives services and offer a range of long term, short break and day services.  We are able to support people with a learning disability, mental health needs, older people, people with dementia and parents with a learning disability.

Shared Lives South West operates in the four local authority areas of Devon, Torbay, Cornwall and Plymouth.  We currently support over 300 service users through our network of 200 approved Shared Lives carers. 

We have offices in Kingsteignton in Devon, Scorrier in Cornwall and Plymouth city centre.

What are Shared Lives services?

Shared Lives services are all about one household sharing their lives, families, home, interests, experience and skills with other people who need some help and support to live their lives to the full.  

It is a unique sort of social care.  It is small scale and very personalised, and focuses on what the individual wants and needs to live their life and fulfil their ambitions.  It happens in a normal family home in the local community, as a full and participating member of that family.

Shared Lives is delivered by skilled, trained and committed individuals who have chosen to share their homes and their lives with others.  Shared Lives carers are supported by their Shared Lives scheme, which matches carers and service users, monitors the well being of the service user and supports the Shared Lives carer. 

Shared Lives combines the small scale setting of the family home with the expertise of a skilled and specialist organisation.

• Shared Lives works because it is delivered in the local community by the local community.
• Shared Lives works because it is delivered by highly motivated and experienced people who do it because they love to see the huge difference they can make to someone’s life.
• Shared Lives works because it means people can live independent lives without having to be alone.
• Shared Lives works because it is based on friendship, love and caring.
• Shared Lives works because it is a way of life not a job.

Types of Shared Lives services

Shared Lives South West delivers a range of different Shared Lives services.  Here is a brief description of each type of service.  Not all services are available in every area.

Long term services

The opportunity to live with a Shared Lives carer on a long term basis, to maintain and/or expand independence and choice and enabling people to make full use of their local community. We have over 200 individual Shared Lives households offering long term Shared Lives places.

Short breaks

Regular or one off short breaks that are fun, skills enhancing and enjoyable for the service user and can offer a family carer a much needed respite break ranging from a day time break to long weekends right up to a 28 day stay.

Short breaks are also used to enable service users to try out Shared Lives before moving in somewhere on a long term basis.  Over 100 of our carers offer short breaks.

Day support

Many of our Shared Lives carers can offer day time support to people in the family home and out and about doing activities in the community.

Shared support and care arrangements

We can offer a service where someone might need accommodation and support for part of the year, for example during school holidays, or where a long handover from a family carer into our service is required.

Transition services

We can work with agencies to plan a transition into our service for a young person approaching adulthood (from the age of 16) either by assessing and approving their current foster carer as shared lives carers or by finding a new match with one of our carers with experience in supporting young people into independence.

Contact us

For general enquiries please email enquiries@sharedlivessw.org.uk.
To contact a specific office, please use the contact details below.
For other useful links and information, please click here

Plymouth

For enquiries about our Plymouth services you can contact our Cornwall office above or use the phone number and email address below.

Tel: 01752 500513

Email Plymouth :
plymouth@sharedlivessw.org.uk