Respite

This is a series of briefing papers produced to help local authorities, providers and families work together to improve the range and quality of short breaks for disabled children.

The National Carers’ Strategy Demonstrator Sites programme was developed by the Department of Health as part of the commitments made in the July 2008 National Carers’ Strategy Carers at the Heart of 21st Century Families and Communities. These commitments included new measures to improve carers’ health and well-being and were incorporated into DH financial plans in 2008-9.This report explores the extent to which the DS were able to meet their objectives and draws out learning from their experiences of delivering services to carers in new ways.

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.

Video of Michael Matheson's contribution to the Creative Breaks conference. He highlights the need for creative approaches to providing short breaks and respite care to carers and the people they care for.

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.

The main aims for the research were set out in the contract specification as follows. 

The Scottish Government and COSLA are determined to ensure that carers are supported to manage their caring responsibilities with confidence and in good health, and to have a life of their own outside of caring. This is the strategy to make that happen.

Full appendicies for Care 21 report

This report projects a bold new vision for unpaid carers in Scotland — a vision based on a strong framework of rights, in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this vision, the caring contribution of carers to society will be fully recognised, the economic impact of their contribution accepted, and as such they will be wholly included in a society which will provide adequate support to carers.

Summary of research undertaken in USA in 2006 giving details of savings made for the state when carers look after family members and loved ones.