respite care

Short breaks services statements: commitment and transparency

Report that looks at local authority compliance with the Short Break Duty through analysing 55 short breaks services statements that have been sent to EDCM from local authorities.

It aims to identify good practice and also to explore what further guidance it may be helpful to provide local authorities with to enable them to fully meet the requirements of the Duty and the needs of local disabled children and their families.

The impact of short breaks on families with a disabled child over time: the second report from the quantitative study

Report that presents the findings of a longitudinal survey into the impact of short breaks on disabled children and their families.

The study is the final element of a programme of research commissioned by the Department for Education (formerly the Department for Children, Schools and Families) and carried out by the Centre for Disability Research (CeDR) at Lancaster University in partnership with the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi).

Creative Breaks Conference

The Creative Breaks Conference was held on November 16th 2011 by Shared Care Scotland. This conference was for people who commission, provide and use short break services in Scotland. By applying our creative talents - and perhaps being a bit more adventurous - we can also look ‘outside the box’ for new and imaginative solutions to achieving better breaks for unpaid carers and the people that they care for. We hope these resources will be widely shared and will help to inspire others who couldn’t be with us on the day. The files below are the audio recordings made of the day.

Raised expectations: parental experiences of short breaks

Report that provides a snapshot of the experiences of parents of disabled children in order to highlight examples of good practice and identify possible areas of concern.

Findings do not cover a representative sample, so cannot reflect the progress of the short breaks programme as a whole, but provide real life examples of the way that impact can be made on the ground.