ANOTHER set of adult carers are set to join an ever-growing ‘Shared Lives’ scheme in Dudley borough.

Camphill Village Trust (CVT), the supportive home initiative which is delivering the scheme – which involves people being paid to care for adults who may be vulnerable or have a disability – on behalf of Dudley Council for the next five years, has added four sets of carers to their team.

The carers spent an initial four days at the charity’s offices in Stourbridge to participate in Care Certificate Standards training, the expected entry level qualification for anyone new coming into social care.

Dean Barnshaw, head of service for Shared Lives, said: “In a little over 12 months we have now recruited 12 households from across Dudley borough and the wider Black Country region, which is truly remarkable.

“Some of the carers have already been approved and gone through the whole assessment process which takes about six months and others are just starting out on their journey with us.

“The induction covers such topics as roles and responsibilities, safeguarding, communication and equality and diversity among other things, with further courses on first-aid, food hygiene and an awareness of various disabilities.

“When recruiting Shared Lives Carers we have to ensure that they have the right character and values to welcome someone into their home and support the individual to be part of the local community, so it’s essential we develop a trusting relationship from the very start.”

People from the borough are still being recruited into the scheme and Halesowen resident Jayne Doran, who was part of the second cohort of carers to complete the induction programme, is urging others to join.

Jayne said: “The whole experience of training to become a Shared Lives Carer has been most interesting and the level of professionalism has really impressed me, as I come from a medical research background.

“There is a real sense that the charity as a whole is very supportive of their staff and carers, and there is a passion to make the whole Shared Lives scheme successful.

“If anyone has a desire to help the vulnerable members in our society, I would definitely recommend thinking about this scheme.

“The training has been comprehensive and the staff supporting you are friendly and informed, with an attitude of nothing being too much trouble.”

Interested carers must also be over the age of 18 and have a spare bedroom. They will be paid between £400 and £600 per week depending on the level of support they provide, as well as receive significant tax breaks.

Anyone interested in applying to the CVT Shared Lives scheme should visit www.cvt.org.uk/sharedlives, or call 01384 597264.