A social care organisation has been awarded over £140,000 from a new government fund to promote innovation.
Shared Lives Plus – which supports isolated or vulnerable adults by housing them with carer families – will use the grant to recruit more carers, while boosting awareness and analysis of their work.
The grant marks the first award from the Cabinet Office’s £14m Innovation Fund, which is administered and part-funded by Nesta and an element of the Centre for Social Action initiative.
While 10,000 Shared Lives carers are already working in the UK, it is hoped that expansion of this approach will see it forming a greater proportion of support provided to the aging population.
Minister for civil society, Nick Hurd, said: ‘We are looking to support new ideas that give people the chance to help others. This bold scheme supports host families who want to open up their homes to provide compassion and independence to vulnerable adults who need care. We are really pleased to give it the chance to prove itself.’
Nesta and the Cabinet Office have encouraged people to come forward with more innovative social action ideas which might be worthy of funding.