The Shared Lives Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) Project is a collaborative project between Cambridgeshire Shared Lives at Cambridgeshire County Council and the Cambridge and Peterborough DASV Partnership. Since the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, research has shown that there is a gap in support in Cambridgeshire for survivors of domestic abuse who have a learning disability. This project is aiming to address that gap by using the Shared Lives model of support, where members of the community are trained and open up their home to provide support.
Shared Lives Domestic Abuse Carers can offer a range of solutions – this could include overnight stays or day support for a couple of hours (i.e., meeting for a coffee). This is a paid role, and carers also receive tax breaks as they are utilising their own home.
Survivors accessing this project may have a multitude of experiences with abuse. This abuse could still be ongoing, and they are looking for a safe place to relax. It could also be that the abuse is historic, and they never had anyone outside of their family network to discuss this with. Each survivor and carer will be matched by the project who will look at a range of factors including the level of abuse that person is experiencing, lifestyle, mutual interests and of course safety.
The County Council are now recruiting new Shared Lives Domestic Abuse Carers and they are looking for more people to get involved! No experience in care is needed for this role, and all training is provided. It is very flexible, and people can commit from as little as a couple of hours a month, to whole weeks at a time.
Poster & Leaflet with further details attached.
The Co Ordinator is willing to come and meet people in the community who may be interested in this role, or even just finding out more information about the work the County are doing within the project.