PDF version Caring for somebody can be a full-time job and you will need a respite break every now and then to relax and recharge your batteries.
If you're the main carer of the person you're looking after, one way you can look after yourself by taking an occasional break from your caring responsibilities this is known as respite care. Carers can use respite care to take a holiday or a break, or time off if they're ill themselves. You might take a break for a week, one morning each week, or just occasionally.
Respite care can include:
- Residential or nursing care, where the person you're looking after goes for a short stay in a residential or nursing home.
- Day-sitting services, where someone will come into your home during the day to care for the person you look after, giving you a chance to go shopping, meet friends or have time for yourself.
- Night-sitting services, where someone will come to your home to care for the person you look after, letting you have a proper night’s sleep.
- Day care, where the person you're looking after goes to a day centre or takes part in activities away from home.
- Holidays: you can get help and support when you want to go on holiday by yourself or with the person you care for. The Shared Care Network has information on family-based breaks for children and young people.
- Vouchers: some local authorities provide vouchers that can be exchanged for services, such as those offered by care agencies or residential homes.
- Direct payments. these can be spent on care services from an appropriate individual or agency. You or the person you're looking after can use the payments to employ a paid carer while you're having a break.
You may be offered free respite care through the social services department of your local authority.
In some areas respite care is provided by your local authority after you've had a carer's assessment. In other areas access to respite care is provided through a community care assessment for the person you're looking after. It's best, therefore, to make sure that both of you are assessed. The local authority will consider what help you need and decide which community care services it will provide to help you.
Local authorities charge for some community care services. This information is available from your local authority's social services department.
If you're finding it difficult to get respite care, your local carers centre or Crossroads branch can give you information about local support. To find your local centre see External links, right.
http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/yourself/timeoff/Pages/Accessingrespiteca...
http://www.togetherfdc.org/SupportDocuments/AHDC%20Transforming%20Short%...
Attached is a breakdown of our announced Aiming High for Disabled Children's Short Breaks grant allocations (both revenue and capital) to English local authorities for the period 2008-09 - 2010-11.
The Government is committed to helping to transform and improve services and support available to disabled children and young people, and their families through the major investment being provided through its AHDC programme.
AHDC is a major transformation programme that is being delivered jointly by DCSF and DH following on from the publication of the AHDC report, ‘Better Support for Families’ in May 2007.
Under AHDC the Government is investing over three-quarters of a billion pounds in services for disabled children and their families over the current spending review period of 2008-2011. This includes:
· £340m revenue funding by DCSF
· £340m from DH confirmed in Primary Care Trust (PCT) NHS allocations through ‘Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures’. £310m is specifically for key priority areas of: short breaks, community equipment and wheelchair services for disabled children and young people. The remaining £30m being for children’s palliative and end-of-life care.
Within DCSF £340m revenue funding:
· £280m is for short breaks;
· £19m for the Transition Support Programme;
· £35m for Childcare Accessibility Project;
· £5m for parent participation, and
· Around £1.5m for other activities, including individual budget pilots.
Within its Children’s Plan DCSF also announced:
· £90m capital funds for short breaks services, and
· £8.4m additional funding for the Family Fund Trust to extend grants to disabled 16 & 17 year olds.
Through a range of measures we are looking to bring about whole system improvement so as to better meet the needs of disabled children, young people and their families, so that they can enjoy and benefit from the things that other people may take for granted.
The effective use of the available AHDC funding is being assisted and monitored by Together for Disabled Children (TDC) field force to provide front line support and capacity building for local authorities and PCTs.