Respite Voucher Scheme
A story by Renfrewshire Carers Centre
Renfrewshire Carers Centre facilitated a Respite Voucher Scheme for Carers. This was based on an assessment of needs to purchase suitable Respite from Carer Inspectorate Providers who had agreed to be part of the Respite Voucher Scheme.
This provided additional flexible respite services that enabled Carers to directly access personalised respite most suitable to their family needs.
What Respite Voucher Scheme did
The Respite Voucher Scheme allowed parents to experience tailor made respite that suited their needs. 23 parent carers of children with complex needs benefited from this project. 17 children/young people were integrated into their local community, sport centres, swimming pools, sensory play areas etc.
1165.25 hours of respite was accessed. This experience of purchasing suitable respite gave Carers the opportunity to be in control of their short break. This in turn motivated 11 Families to apply for and receive Self Directed Support to be in control of when and where their respite takes place.
What Renfrewshire Carers Centre has learned
The difference this made to our organisation is that all new Carers attended Parents Support Group and accessed all other relevant services. The Centre is better known in the wider community due to the children and parents being integrated into their communities
Unexpected challenges where Care Companies being unable to fulfil their agreement at the beginning of the project. However after many teething difficulties Carers receiving the service benefited greatly.
Presentations were delivered to all Schools and nurseries in Renfrewshire of children with special needs, from these presentations 18 new Carers were identified and all took up the Respite Voucher Scheme