Kate Morgan, Registered Manager for the Camphill Village Trust Shared Lives Scheme, has won the Shared Lives Champion of the Year Award for 2019 at the annual Shared Lives Plus conference in Liverpool last week.

Kate was recognised for her efforts in establishing this truly innovative and high-quality service right across Dudley Borough. The recruitment of carers and the setting up of new arrangements was way above the national average and highlighted the dedication of the staff team in raising the profile of Shared Lives. Kate said:

"It’s great to be acknowledged for the work everyone has put in over the past two years. Developing any sort of project from scratch is not an easy feat, with many late nights.

"However, to expand Shared Lives as we have and receive a Good rating after only six months in operation from the Care Quality Commission based on the brilliant support our carers provide every single day is truly amazing. I shall treasure my award with pride."

Councillor Nic Barlow, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care at Dudley MBC, added:

"We’re really pleased to see how well the service is doing with Camphill Village Trust. It’s a great example of what can be achieved when we work closely with experienced providers.

"We appreciate the hard work and commitment of the carers in opening their homes to support people with additional needs and I would encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes to become a Shared Lives carer to get in touch."

Across the UK, the Shared Lives model currently supports approximately 14,000 people with a variety of needs. Once training is completed, carers are carefully matched to support the person to lead as independent life as possible in the community. Carers are paid according to the level of support they provide and qualify for tax relief via HMRC.

If you are interested in finding out more about Shared Lives then please visit the website at camphillvillagetrust.org.uk or call on 01384 441505.