About respite care
Everyone needs a break sometimes, but when you are caring for someone, having a break is important.
What is respite care?
Respite care or a ‘short break’ is a break which actually gives the carer a break from direct responsibility of supervising or caring for the relevant person. Traditionally this has been seen as being for the benefit of the carer, but increasingly it has been accepted as beneficial for the person with mental illness as well.
Where does it take place?
Respite care can be provided for at home or in a residential setting. In practice this may involve someone coming and helping with your caring duties while you do something yourself such as go to the cinema or have a night out.
Alternatively it may involve the person you care for or both of you going to a residential centre where professional carers can take some of the responsibility. A change is as good as a break!
What about young carers?
Where the carer is a child, a service which helps the child to take part in activities outside the home, so that they can truly benefit from such a break, is also considered to be a short break.
How do I ask for it?
In normal circumstances you should ask your local social services department. A need for respite care can be identified via an assessment under the Children Act 1989, the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 or the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995.
In the past respite has often meant a hospital bed. However, respite increasingly means a break away from where you usually live and from the people you usually see.
Where can you go?
There is no legislation that says where you should get your respite care and that you should not go abroad, however, where you go is in the hands of the local authority.
The government good practice guidance states that local authorities should offer as much choice as possible but it is unlikely that you will be able to go abroad. In practice, many local authorities will have a contract with one or more services offering respite. It is with these services that you will be encouraged to go any other services not of comparable price range may not be funded.
