Shared Lives: Creating continuity for young people leaving care

For many young people leaving care, turning 18 can bring significant change. Alongside the transition into adulthood, they may also face moving home, changing support networks and building relationships with new professionals. For young people with a learning disability, autism or complex needs, these changes can be particularly challenging.

Cornerstone Shared Lives has grown significantly over the 25 years it has been operating; working across eight local authority areas with contracts in Glasgow and the Scottish Borders.

The scheme has diversified their offer enabling young people to remain with the carers they already know and trust for as long as they need, due to a steady increase of foster carers wishing to transition to Shared Lives.

What were you trying to understand?

Stable and enduring relationships are so important for care-experienced young people, particularly those with a learning disability, autism, neurodiversity or complex trauma. Across Scotland and the rest of the UK, many young people leaving care experience a ‘care-cliff’ when they reach 18, but with Shared Lives young people continue to have the scaffolding around them to build strong relationships, within a family home environment.

In 2020 the Scottish Borders identified eight young people with support needs living with a foster carer who wanted to remain with their carers post 18; some for short term and others longer term – this prompted Cornerstone being commissioned to deliver Shared Lives in this area, particularly for these young people leaving care.

Recognising that this was a new way of working with young people leaving care which would bring new challenges, Cornerstone knew that there would be a need for a new approach with these transitioning arrangements and new training and support for the carers they would be working with.

What did you do?

As there are several Shared Lives schemes working in similar areas across Scotland, England and Wales, Shared Lives Plus—the UK membership charity for Shared Lives schemes, Shared Lives carers and Homeshare organisations,  set up a community of practice group as part of their Shared Lives for young people leaving care programme, bringing together schemes, as well as government and regulatory partners, to surface good practice, and identify common questions that could be worked through as a group.

The community of practice as also includes care experienced young people who bring lived experience to the group.  They meet quarterly, as well as having a message board to keep in touch and share peer support.

Cornerstone, using the information gained through the community of practice, evolved their assessment and training processes to help carers understand the differences between foster care and Shared Lives, using practical scenarios and resources such as the Keeping People Safe in Shared Lives training developed by Shared Lives Plus.

Working closely with colleagues and commissioners, particularly in the Scottish Borders, Cornerstone developed an approach that includes regular planning meetings, referral tracking and ongoing communication across children's and adults' services. This has helped ensure Shared Lives is considered early as a potential option, rather than as a last-minute solution.

By developing information-sharing protocols and guidance for carers who are dual registered across children's and adult services, Cornerstone have streamlined processes while maintaining robust safeguarding, adult protection and assessment standards. This not only reduces pressure on carers but also strengthens partnership working between organisations.

Since 2020, Cornerstone have supported 16 young people to transition to Shared Lives with their previous foster carer, and presently more referrals are underway.

What did you learn?

Marissa Speed, Cornerstone Shared Lives Lead said:

One of the biggest lessons has been that successful transitions don't happen by chance. They require early planning, strong partnership working and a shared commitment to keeping the young person's relationships at the centre of decision-making.

They also learnt that supporting carers through the transition has been just as important as supporting the young people. While experienced foster carers already have extensive skills, moving into adult services involves different legislation, expectations and approaches around choice, control and supported decision-making.

A lot of the learning in this work was also from other Shared Lives schemes. Cornerstone along with 39 other schemes across the UK are part of Shared Lives Plus’ Young People Leaving Care programme which aims for Shared Lives to be the first choice for young people leaving care with a learning disability, autism or mental health challenges and to be part of the core offer for care leavers, complementing Continuing Care in Scotland.

As part of this programme, Cornerstone are learning from others across the UK while contributing to the development of policy and practice in Scotland. The peer support offers reassurance on systems, processes and service expectations, and how other schemes are managing these arrangements, whilst contributing to the group ensures resources and training being developed are relevant for Scotland.

What helped and what got in the way?

A key driver of the project’s success was the strong partnership with Scottish Borders colleagues and commissioners, who took a collaborative, project management approach and remained committed to finding solutions to challenges as they arose.

Starting the project in March 2020 brought the additional challenge of navigating the uncertainty, restrictions and changing guidance of the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring Cornerstone to continually review and adapt practice and processes while meeting contractual obligations.

An ongoing challenge has been ensuring carers understand the need for additional assessment, therefore Cornerstone reviewed assessment, training and induction processes to make the transition as straightforward and streamlined as possible. Cornerstone also contributed to the development of resources, including guidance for dual-registered carers, and updated training to strengthen support for carers as they move between supporting children and adults.

What difference did it make?

Young people supported by Shared Lives said:

Being able to stay with my foster carers meant I didn’t have to move right away and got to stay with people I know well and feel safe with. I can look forward to planning and being supported to move into my own house when I am ready.

Here we are, we are a team together and Cornerstone is the heart of us, it’s where we go should we need any help with anything.

Why does this matter?

For foster carers, becoming approved as Shared Lives carers has enabled families to stay together and continue relationships built over many years. For young people, remaining in a familiar home provides stability while giving them time to develop the confidence and skills needed for greater independence at their own pace.

Shared Lives might not be the best-fit option for every young person leaving care. However, Cornerstone’s experience suggests it can offer an important bridge between children's and adult services for those who benefit from continuity, consistency and lifelong relationships.

What could other local areas learn?

The Shared Lives for young people leaving care programme has supported 233 care leavers since 2024. 82% of those young people are in education, employment or training.

One of the programme’s most significant achievements is helping young people maintain the relationships that matter most. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of young people remained with a carer they already knew and trusted, reducing disruption at a crucial stage in their lives.

A key challenge is helping fostering services and local authorities recognise Shared Lives as an option for care leavers and foster carers who want to continue their relationships. Many local authorities across Scotland already have access to Shared Lives provision, and the core aim is for it to be offered wherever it could benefit a young person. For areas considering a similar approach, Shared Lives Plus and Cornerstone are happy to share their knowledge, experience and learning.

Organisations working in this area are welcome to join the community of practice, to share their skills and work together with their peers to ensure that the important relationships children and young people form with their families are not lost or damaged as they transition into adulthood. For more information please contact Mary Vaughan, Programme Lead, at mary.vaughan@sharedlivesplus.org.uk.