Shared care for children

What is shared care?

Shared care is a scheme to provide flexible short breaks for disabled children who live in Hammersmith & Fulham. This gives parents, carers and siblings the chance to take a break from caring. It also provides the disabled child with the chance to try new activities, make friends and have some fun. 

Shared care offers two services – Link Care and Befriending. Link carers provide care in their own homes (including overnight stays). Befrienders provide care in the child’s own home or take the child out for the day. 

Who can use the service?

The service is for disabled children (0 -18 years) who live in Hammersmith & Fulham.

We work with children who have a wide range of physical and learning disabilities and sensory impairments. We also work with children who display challenging behaviour as a result of their disability. We do not work with children who have behavioural difficulties as a result of social or emotional factors. 

How does shared care work?

Each disabled child or young person is matched with one carer so that they get to know each other and develop a relationship. When making this match we look at the skills and experience of the carer, at how much time they can give and at the personal circumstances of the family requesting the service. We also make sure the family and potential carer live close enough to each other to make a successful match. 

Link carers can take a child to their own home and may offer overnight stays. Befrienders may offer babysitting in the family’s home or take the child out for the day to go swimming, bowling or visit the local park, cinema or library.

Carers are paid an allowance of £6 per hour and may also claim up to £15 per session to cover expenses such as travel, outings and meals. This means that there is no cost to the families using the scheme.

Who can become a carer?

We look for volunteers from a range of backgrounds – to try to increase each child’s chance of getting a good match. We welcome carers from all races, cultures and religions and of different ages. Carers can be married, living with a partner or single and may or may not have children of their own.

All our carers are volunteers who offer their spare time to look after children. Many have full-time jobs or other commitments and so are able to offer just a few hours of care each month.

All carers have to be assessed by social services. This means that a social worker meets the prospective carer to look at his or her:

• child care experience and skills
• understanding of disability issues
• relationships and family situation
• support networks    

Link carers look after children in their own home and must therefore be assessed in line with national foster care regulations and the Children Act 1989. This means that if they have a partner he or she must also be assessed and the social worker will ask to meet any children who live at home. We will also check that their home meets health and safety requirements and has suitable sleeping arrangements. 

All carers have to undergo a number of checks (including police checks) to make sure they are suitable to work with children. These can take several months to complete.

Once a carer has been approved they are offered ongoing support and training from the shared care team. 

How do I find out more?

If you are interested in becoming a part of the shared care scheme – either to receive services or to volunteer as a carer – please contact us on 0800 169 3497.