Time to live fund- creative breaks
Short Breaks are undoubtedly a significant support to ensuring carers can maintain their caring role while maintaining their own health and wellbeing and having a life away from being a carer.
Depending on the extent of your caring role you may be eligible for support from the Health & Social Care Partnership.
At present, the Health & Social Care Partnership will provide support if your caring role is deemed to have a critical or substantial effect on aspects of your life such as your health, life balance, finances or key relationships
For more information on Adult Carers’ Support Plan please contact the Centre on 0141 638 4888
or the contact numbers for the Health & Social Care Partnership are –
- Request for Assistance Team 0141 577 8300 (when person with care needs is under 18)
- Initial Contact Team 0141 800 7850, initialcontactteam@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk (when person with care needs is over 18.)
Completely separate from any support received from the Health & Social Care Partnership we might be able to provide different support in relation to short breaks. Details of these are below
Time to Live Fund – with funding awarded through Shared Care Scotland the Centre can make a financial grant to carers and young carers.
The grant will be personalised to each applicant but must be used to provide carers with a short break. Examples of recently funded breaks include:
- Hotel breaks with the cared for person
- Hotel breaks without the cared for person
- Gym membership
- Hill walking Equipment
- Golf club membership
- Holistic therapies such as massage and aromatherapy
Carefreebreaks https://carefreespace.org/
The Carers’ Centre have entered into a partnership with Carefree to provide carers with access to unused hotel rooms and accommodation across the UK.
Carefree have developed a simple referral process but you must come through the Carers’ Centre. The breaks provided are throughout the UK and you will have to consider transport and other expenses such as dining. Please contact the Centre should you require further advice and information.
Carers can take someone with them but as the mission of Carefree is to provide carers with a break from their caring, you cannot take the person you care for.
Respitality
Respitality is a short break programme managed in Scotland through Shared Care Scotland. It matches Scottish Hospitality Providers who are willing to donate or gift a short break, a day out, a meal out, a family experience or a longer holiday break for unpaid carers and their families and friends.
We are in the process of starting this in East Renfrewshire and are looking for volunteers to help us reach out to possibly donators.
Grants and donations:
Young Carer Grant:
The Young Carer Grant was introduced on 21 October 2019. The Grant is a yearly payment worth £326.65 in 2022 for young carers who live in Scotland.
You can get the Young Carer Grant if all of these apply:
- you live in Scotland
- you’re 16, 17 or 18 years old
- you’ve been caring for one or more people for around 16 hours a week, for the last 3 months. Caring can include supporting either the physical or mental health and wellbeing of someone (or both).
- the person or people you care for are getting certain benefits
- you’re not already getting Carer’s Allowance
Social Security Scotland have put together information and examples of what a young carer is to help you see if you or someone you know might qualify for the Young Carer Grant. You can find these by clicking here
Applying for the Young Carer Grant
You can apply:
- Online
- By phone on 0800 182 2222
- if you’re a British Sign Language user, you can use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video relay.
- by filling out a paper form
Find out all you need to know about the Young Carer Grant on mygov.scot
The support also includes a young carer element to the Young Scot National Entitlement Card and, in 2021/22, concessionary bus travel. You can find out more here.