Shared Lives costs and effectiveness (SLEE)

Introduction

In the Shared Lives model, an adult who needs support and/or accommodation moves in with or regularly visits an approved Shared Lives carer after they have been matched for compatibility. At present there is a limited evidence base for Shared Lives.

This research will mean that a thorough exploration of how successful the model is and whether it represents a good investment can be explored.

An outcome evaluation will include: collection of data including service user characteristics, risks and needs, case management information, service use, quality of life and well-being measures; data collection from a comparison group of Shared Lives-suitable, non-participating service users; interviews with service users and Shared Lives carers focusing on outcomes; and use of other administrative and survey data. Research will take place with 12 Shared Lives schemes, focusing on adults with learning disabilities, older adults, adults with mental health problems and adults with a physical disability. An economic evaluation will look at quality of life/well-being data and costs. A cost analysis will systematically collect, categorise and analyse the costs associated with Shared Lives. Cost-effectiveness analysis will examine how efficient Shared Lives is and produce evidence on the cost per element of change in quality of life/well-being.