Shared Lives Arrangements and Matching training that gets your team CQC-ready
- CQC-aligned, mapped to the Care Certificate framework
- Completed in the hub in over 60 languages
- A certificate for every staff member, for your CQC evidence
- A wrong answer triggers a follow-up lesson, so gaps are closed
No subscription needed. Bulk discounts from 10+ licences.
From £25.99 per staff member, one-off. No subscription needed.
Trusted by UK care providers
Specialists in the technology behind it all
The same technology behind the world's best products powers CareStream, so your team's shared lives arrangements and matching training stays accurate, always up to date with the latest guidance, and is delivered in over 60 languages.
Understanding the Supported Person Deeply
Good matching starts with really knowing the person we are supporting. This means spending time with them and their family to understand not just their care needs but their personality, interests, hopes and what they want from living with or spending time with a carer.
We listen to what makes them tick, what they enjoy, what matters to them and what kind of household and lifestyle would suit them. This person centred approach is required by the Care Act 2014 and is the foundation of everything that follows.
What is the most important reason why matching matters so much in Shared Lives?
In the hub, a wrong answer sends the staff member a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question on the same point. They close the gap before they can finish the module, and every attempt is recorded for your CQC evidence.
That is how the training works. Give your whole team the full Shared Lives Arrangements and Matching module.
Avg. Duration
About 35 minutes
Certificate
For every staff member
Available Languages (60+)
Course Published by
A clear, practical grounding in shared lives arrangements and matching.
This training explains how we carefully match supported people with the right Shared Lives carer and household. Good matching is the foundation of every successful Shared Lives arrangement because it creates real, lasting relationships built on shared interests, compatibility and ordinary family life. You will learn how to assess people properly, involve them in choosing, introduce them gradually and support arrangements over time.
By the end, your staff will be able to:
- Describe the key elements of a person centred assessment that informs good matching in Shared Lives
- Explain how to involve the supported person and their family in choosing a carer and household
- Identify the factors that make a good match beyond just matching needs to skills
- Apply the gradual introduction and settling in process that tests whether a match will work
- Recognise when a match is not working and how to support or end an arrangement sensitively
A closer look at the shared lives arrangements and matching module.
The module is built in short, practical sections. Each one teaches a part of the topic, then applies it to a real care scenario and checks understanding before moving on.
Understanding the Supported Person Deeply
Good matching starts with really knowing the person we are supporting. This means spending time with them and their family to understand not just their care needs but their personality, interests, hopes and what they want from living with or spending time with a carer. We listen to what makes them tick, what they enjoy, what matters to them and what kind of household and lifestyle would suit them. This person centred approach is required by the Care Act 2014 and is the foundation of everything that follows.
Knowing Our Carers and What They Can Genuinely Offer
Matching works both ways. We need to know each approved carer just as deeply, understanding their home, household, family, lifestyle, strengths, interests and the kind of person they would suit. We should never see carers simply as vacancies to be filled. Instead we understand what each carer and their household can genuinely offer, what their own interests and values are, and what kind of match would work for them and their family, because the whole household will be sharing life with the supported person.
Putting the Person at the Centre of Choosing
The supported person and their family must be at the heart of choosing the carer and household. This is co production in action and a requirement of the Care Act. We arrange for the person to meet potential carers, visit their homes and have a real say in the decision. The person chooses rather than being placed. We give them information in a way they can understand, support them to express their views and respect their choice, even when it means more work for us to find the right match.
Gradual Introductions and Testing the Match
We never rush into a Shared Lives arrangement. Introductions are gradual and paced to the person, starting with a first meeting, then visits, perhaps a meal and later an overnight stay. Both sides are given time to see whether it feels right. This is followed by a settling in or trial period that is reviewed openly rather than rushed into a lifelong commitment. This careful process protects everyone and gives the match the best chance of working.
Formalising the Arrangement and Embedding Safety
Once the match is working, we draw up the Shared Lives agreement together with the person, their family and the carer so everyone's expectations are clear. We complete a thorough risk assessment so the arrangement is safe as well as suitable, but we resist being so cautious that ordinary life becomes impossible. We also ensure the person has capacity to consent to the arrangement or that proper best interests decisions are made under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This formalises the arrangement and embeds safeguarding from the start.
Ongoing Support and When Matches Do Not Work
Matching does not end when the person moves in. We continue to monitor and review the arrangement, supporting both the person and the carer, watching the relationship develop and checking the match is still working. We recognise when a match is not working, support the arrangement through difficulties where possible, and where necessary end an arrangement sensitively and begin matching again. Getting a match wrong is painful and costly, but staying in a poor match is worse. We learn from breakdowns and apply that learning to future matching.
The things your team must remember.
- Good matching is about knowing both the supported person and the carer deeply, including their personalities, interests, lifestyles and what they want, not just pairing needs with skills.
- The supported person and their family must be at the centre of choosing the carer and household. The person chooses rather than being placed.
- Introductions are gradual and paced to the person, followed by a settling in period that tests the match before committing to a long term arrangement.
- The Shared Lives agreement sets out everyone's expectations clearly, and risk assessment embeds safety while enabling ordinary life.
- Matching continues after move in through ongoing monitoring and review. We recognise when matches are not working and act sensitively to support or end arrangements.
- Getting matching right takes time and care, but it is the foundation of every successful Shared Lives arrangement and determines whether relationships flourish or fail.
Not a slideshow once a year. Training that sticks.
CareStream delivers shared lives arrangements and matching training in the hub your team already uses, grounded in best practice and your own policies, so it fits your care setting and not a generic template.
Short teaching sections and a real care scenario, then an assessment that checks understanding.
Staff complete it in over 60 languages, while your records stay in English.
A wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is closed.
Automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days, with a live compliance dashboard.
From your dashboard to your team, in the CareStream hub.
Training is delivered in the hub each staff member logs into. You allocate the modules, they complete them in their own language, and you get the completion records and certificates for your CQC evidence, with any gaps closed by automatic follow up training.
Assign Shared Lives Arrangements and Matching to each staff member in seconds. No course builder and no setup for each person.
Staff work through the module on any device, in over 60 languages, teaching then checking understanding. A wrong answer sends a short follow up lesson.
See live completion status and a certificate for every person, ready as evidence for CQC.
Any step, in their language, in one tap.
Care teams are diverse and training should not leave anyone behind. On any lesson or question, a staff member taps the language button and the whole step flips into the language they think in. They understand it properly, and your records stay in English.
- One tap flips any lesson or question into their language, instantly.
- Over 60 languages, with no setup and no separate versions to manage.
- Completions and certificates stay in English for your CQC evidence.
Try the language buttons in the preview above.
Built for real learning, not box ticking
Every CareStream course goes further than a lesson and a quiz. These features come as standard on every course, giving your staff a richer way to learn and giving you the evidence to prove it.
Every course is built on recognised UK guidance and cites its sources, from NICE and Skills for Care to the NHS and the legislation itself.
A plain English glossary of the technical terms in each course. A simple way to support every learner, including staff with English as a second language.
A quick knowledge check before the lesson is compared with the final assessment, so every certificate comes with evidence of how much the course actually taught.
After passing, staff record what they will do differently in their day to day work. Their reflection is saved to their training record and shown with their certificate.
A printable one page takeaway of the outcomes, key points and key terms. Perfect for staff files, supervision conversations and the staff room wall.
A printable checklist for managers to confirm skills in practice, with a sign off section. It completes the picture beyond the knowledge assessment.
Wrong answers become lessons, not failures
Most e learning marks an answer wrong and moves on. CareStream does not. Every wrong answer triggers an automatic follow up loop that teaches the point again and rechecks it, so no knowledge gap is left behind.
A wrong answer immediately opens a short lesson explaining the point, so the gap is closed there and then.
A fresh question on the same point checks the lesson has landed. The loop repeats until it has.
Staff move on to the next module and their certificate once they genuinely know the answer, not just after one lucky guess.
Why choose CareStream?
Training built for the care sector, delivered the way busy teams actually learn.
- 90+ care-specific training courses
- Bitesize, engaging lessons your staff actually finish
- Mapped to the Care Certificate & CQC standards
- Available in 60+ languages
- Instant certificate on completion
- Flexible learning, anytime, on any device
- Content kept up to date with UK care regulations
- Time to complete: ~35 min
Frequently asked questions.
Is Shared Lives Arrangements and Matching training mandatory in care settings?
How often should staff complete Shared Lives Arrangements and Matching training?
Can CareStream deliver Shared Lives Arrangements and Matching training in other languages?
Does the training include an assessment?
More training your team may need
More mandatory and role-specific training CareStream delivers to your team, in the hub, in any language. Add any of these to your basket.
Annual CertificateDuty of Candour
This training explains your legal and professional duty to be open and honest with residents and their families when mistakes happen in care. You will learn when the formal Duty of Candour applies, what actions you must take, and how to support residents through difficult conversations. Being transparent builds trust and helps us learn from incidents.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateWhistleblowing
This training explains how to raise concerns about poor practice, risks to residents, or wrongdoing at the Home. You will learn when and how to speak up, what protection you have, and why reporting concerns is part of your duty of care. Speaking up keeps residents safe and maintains high standards of care.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateComplaints Handling
This training covers how we handle complaints at our home, following our Duty of Candour Policy. You will learn when and how to be open with residents and families when things go wrong, how to respond to concerns properly, and how to record and learn from complaints. Handling complaints well protects residents and builds trust.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateBoundaries in a Family-Home Setting
This training helps you understand and maintain healthy, safe boundaries while providing Shared Lives care in your own home. You will learn how to balance the warmth and closeness of family life with professional responsibilities, keeping everyone safe and respecting the privacy and independence of the person you support, yourself, and your household. The training covers money, relationships, privacy, confidentiality, and how to recognise when boundaries need attention.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificatePromoting Ordinary Living and Independence
This module helps you support the people you care for to live as independently as possible, making their own choices and living ordinary lives in the community. You will learn practical ways to promote independence, respect personal choice, and help people participate fully in everyday activities that matter to them.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateSubstance Withdrawal and Detoxification
This training explains how to support people safely through withdrawal and detoxification in our service. You will learn the serious risks of different substances, how to monitor and observe people during detox, when to escalate urgently, and your role boundaries. This is the knowledge component only; practical competency must be assessed separately in your workplace.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Give your team shared lives arrangements and matching training that actually sticks.
Add it to your basket, allocate it in seconds, and let the evidence build itself.
Compared
Three ways to train a care team.
These modules are written and kept current by us, so your managers do not have to write or maintain them. We have compared what each approach does rather than naming providers, because products change and this should still be true next year.
| CareStream | A generic e-learning library | A trainer you book | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Try a real lesson and a real question before you buy | |||
| Learning outcomes and time to complete stated up front | |||
| Written lesson sections, each with its own illustration | |||
| Interactive exercises after the lesson that teaches them, in every module | |||
| Assessment in every module, with the key points to revisit | |||
| Taken in any of sixty plus languages | |||
| A wrong answer triggers a follow-up lesson, not just a re-sit | |||
| Practical sign-off by a manager where the subject needs it | |||
| Completion files itself into your training matrix and evidence pack | |||
| Bought one module at a time, with no annual contract |
Generic libraries are often cheaper per learner. They teach a national standard rather than being built, updated and evidenced around the way a CQC-registered service is actually inspected.
Care policies
Every module is written from a policy
If the policy behind it is out of date, the training inherits that. Sixty six policies written for your service, checked against current law and read by a person before they carry your name, from £39.
