Choosing to open your home to someone outside your existing network and invite them to live alongside you is, for many, a completely new experience. Understandably questions may arise around what steps are taken to ensure the protection and safety of householders and safeguarding is one of the key points that householders and their families want to find out more about.
Apprehension around homesharing is generally part of a cultural and generational unfamiliarity about sharing one’s home. Generally people in the UK in their 80’s/90’s were able to buy a home at a cost that meant they have lived only with family members until partners died and/or children fled the nest so have never experienced having strangers in their home.
If you’re considering the merits of a homeshare arrangement for you or for a loved one, we would like to share an insight into the measures that we’ve put in place to ensure safety and protection of our householders.
How safe is homeshare? Share and Care Homeshare undertake rigorous safeguarding procedures. Importantly, our Sharers are vetted to the same level as carers, or perhaps even to a higher level as we do not just accept references confirming dates of employment like care providers; we expect references to come from a variety of sources so we get a rounded idea of the person.
What safeguarding procedures are followed?
Our safeguarding procedures are extensive – each and everyone of our sharers undergoes rigorous vetting which includes:
- References – Sharers must provide three references who we personally contact.
- Checks including enhanced DBS, ID, Right to Rent and credit checks
- Interviews – out team takes the time to interview each sharer to find out more about their personal lives and background. This is a very in-depth interview to assess their suitability and compatibility with the householder.
- Matching process – Our matching process is unbeatable! We are careful to match householders and sharers with common ground. For instance, we think about culture, language, personal preference, diets, interests, and more – all of which ensure success, and are the building blocks for a happy, fulfilling homeshare experience.
- Homeshare agreement – All parties are required to sign and agree to our ‘Homeshare Licence Agreement’, which is. contract to share the home under licence, not as a tenant.
- Homeshare policies and procedures – All sharers receive a copy of Share and Care Homeshare’s ‘Safeguarding Policy and Procedures’ document which they commit to follow.
- Ongoing support- Regular, ongoing contact and support ensures that we are fully up-to-date with how the arrangement is running and provides an opportunity to discuss any issues or concerns should they arise.
- Clear complaints procedure- should a concern surface, we have. clear, easy-to-follow companies procedure.
Are there any other safeguarding steps? We have ongoing commitment to ensure best practice, and we therefore monitoring developments around safeguarding to ensure that our policies and reporting procedures are up-to-date and relevant.
We have also invested in technology and training to ensure that we have the knowledge and experience to offer the very best safeguarding to our clients. Amanda Clarke, one of our directors is our safeguarding lead and has completed the SCIE(Social Care Institute for Excellence) Safeguarding for Adults course.
How would a safeguarding issue be managed? Through following the safeguarding steps that are in place, the likelihood of any issues is minimal. However, if a situation was to occur, we would handle any situation with the utmost care and sensitivity for everyone involved. We would work swiftly and diplomatically to resolve any issues with householder, family and sharer, and if needed, we would also work with other agencies or social care professionals.
Our advise to approaching homeshare is everyone is a stranger until they become a friend!
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