Have you heard of social care’s best-kept secret?
It’s called Shared Lives — and it’s quietly transforming lives across the UK.
Unlike traditional care services, Shared Lives isn’t about shifts, rotas, or institutions. It’s about opening your home and sharing everyday life with someone who needs support.
For people with additional needs, that can mean something simple but powerful: a real home, real relationships and the chance to grow in confidence and independence.
And for carers, it can become one of the most meaningful things they ever do.
A different kind of care
Shared Lives looks different in every home — and that’s exactly what makes it special.
Some carers support someone full-time. Others provide short breaks, day support, or part-time care alongside their own careers and family life.
Some are experienced care professionals looking for a more personal way to support people. Others are families who simply have a spare room and a caring heart.
The common thread? A relationship built on trust, belonging and everyday life
Clare’s story: confidence and independence
For Clare, Shared Lives has been transformational.
Before moving into her Shared Lives home, she struggled with confidence and everyday skills. Today, she’s embracing life — volunteering in a charity shop, exploring her love of anime and cosplay, and building friendships.
She describes Shared Lives in her own words:
Shared Lives isn’t like people think – it’s not a flat, not a care home. It’s like family. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else. You can just be you.
Clare has learned to cook, manage her routines and try new experiences. Most importantly, she has a place where she feels she belongs.
Shared Lives has helped me improve my skills, become more independent and more social.
A busy family opening their home
Shared Lives carers come from all walks of life.
Reetesh, a psychiatric nurse working full-time in the NHS, became a Shared Lives carer alongside his wife Deepa and their three young children.
They now support two women, Clare and Sophie, in their family home.
What surprised me most was how easy it was to have someone live with us,” says Reetesh. I thought it might feel like an intrusion, but instead it’s felt natural. They’re part of our family.
Through everyday encouragement — cooking together, volunteering, building routines — the women they support have grown in independence and confidence.
A lifetime of care
For others, Shared Lives grows from years of caring.
Juliet, one of Ategi’s first Shared Lives carers in Buckinghamshire, began her journey as a foster carer before becoming a Shared Lives carer in 2009.
Today she supports four women — Michelle, Kelly, Chloe and Emma — each with different needs including autism, speech differences and mental health challenges.
Together they live a vibrant, busy life.
From self-defence classes and Morris dancing to Zumba, community carnivals and Pride events, the women Juliet supports are constantly trying new things and building confidence.
We love seeing the girls we support grow in confidence, seeing them grow into young women...I enjoy the challenge. I feel proud to be part of it.
Why more people are becoming Shared Lives carers
More people are discovering Shared Lives because it fits around real life.
People become carers for many reasons:
- To make a meaningful difference
- To share their home and family life
- To use their experience in health or social care
- To support someone to grow in independence
- To earn generous payments while doing something purposeful
- To build lasting, meaningful relationships
And because every household is different, every Shared Lives relationship is different too.
Some feel like siblings. Some like extended family. Some like lifelong friendships.
Social care, reimagined
At its heart, Shared Lives is about something simple: people supporting people in ordinary homes and communities.
It replaces isolation with belonging. It replaces services with relationships. And it gives people the chance to live fuller, more independent lives.
Maybe that’s why those who experience it often say the same thing:
Shared Lives doesn’t just change one life — it transforms many.
💡 Could you be part of social care’s best-kept secret?
If you have a spare room, compassion and a desire to support someone to live their best life, you could become a Shared Lives carer with Ategi.
Or are you an adult with additional needs — such as a learning disability, autism, or mental health challenges — who would like the opportunity to live more independently in a welcoming, family-style home with the right support?
Because sometimes, the most powerful care doesn’t happen in a service.
It happens around a kitchen table.
Would you like to find out more about Shared Lives?
Ategi provides Shared Lives support in; Central Bedfordshire, Cardiff, South Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Slough and Southwark.
Would you like to find out more about becoming a Shared Lives carer?
Or would you like to see if you could be supported by Shared Lives?
Find out more about how Shared Lives could support you here
Shared Lives has helped me improve my skills, become more independent and more social.
Clare all dressed up for Comicon.
Read more about Clare's Shared Lives journey here
What surprised me most was how easy it was to have someone live with us
Reetesh with the two ladies he supports - yes one of them is Clare from the story above!
Read more about Reetesh's journey from full time father and mental health nurse, to adding being a Shared Lives carer into the mix.
The ladies Juliet supports learning self defence.
Read more about Juliet and her journey from foster carer to Shared Lives carer here
Related information
About the author
Ategi comms
This post was written by the Ategi comms team.