Shared Lives is a community-based model of care that matches self-employed Shared Lives Carers with people aged 16 and over who have care and support needs. Support is provided in the Carer’s home, enabling people to live gloriously ordinary lives. The Dorset Shared Lives Scheme, run by Dorset Council, recruits and supports these Carers to share their home and life with suitable Service Users. This can be through a long-term placement, a short break to provide respite, or as a day opportunity. The scheme is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and all staff and Shared Lives Carers work within CQC standards. What will you be doing? Shared Lives Officers are responsible for maintaining a caseload of Shared Lives Carers and overseeing the support provided to Shared Lives Service Users. They work closely with the scheme’s Manager, Senior Officer, Shared Lives Carers, and other professionals to ensure Service Users receive safe, consistent, high-quality care and support that meets their eligible needs and outcomes, as well as CQC standards. Key responsibilities include: recruiting, assessing, and approving new Shared Lives Carers p roviding regular monitoring and support to Shared Lives Carers w orking with Social Work teams to consider Service User referrals m atching Service Users and Carers for long-term placements, short breaks, and day opportunities r eviewing Service User placements and advocating for Service Users in various contexts c ollaborating with other professionals to maintain high standards of care within the scheme f ull induction training and ongoing support will be provided to the successful candidate Location and Working Arrangements The registered location for the scheme is County Hall in Dorchester. We offer hybrid and flexible working, but the post-holder is expected to attend the office regularly and be available for face-to-face visits in the community to meet Shared Lives Carers and Service Users. About You We are looking for someone committed to working collaboratively and with clear purpose to improve the lives of people with care and support needs in Dorset. This is an exciting opportunity to join the Dorset Shared Lives Scheme. We would love to hear from you if you have experience working with people with care and support needs and possess the personal attributes, skills, and knowledge required for this role. Further Information More information about Shared Lives can be found on our website. If you would like to discuss this position or the team before applying, please email the Shared Lives Team at [email protected] to arrange a telephone call with a team member. This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders. See our adult safeguarding policy. About Us At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video: Unable to show this video due to your cookie preferences At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future. We: provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents work in partnership to make a real difference value every role and the impact it has on our communities support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive You will: be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset have access to a range of benefits and support receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us. Find out more about how to apply.