The Scottish Government has made a short breaks fund of £2 million available for short breaks for disabled children, young people and their families. The Scottish Government aims through this funding to improve the provision of, and access to, quality short breaks for disabled children and their families, especially where children and young people have multiple support needs.
The funding will be divided between two grant making programmes - one administered by Shared Care Scotland and the other - Take a Break - by the Family Fund.
The Shared Care Scotland funding programme is called Better Breaks. It provides grants to third sector organisations working in Scotland to develop additional, responsive and creative short break opportunities for disabled children, young people and their families.
Shared Stories Project
Shared Stories is a digital media project designed to help services share their own stories on the benefits of respite breaks while highlighting good practice and innovation.
Production company Media Education is supporting projects funded by the Better Breaks Programme to produce their own film of the impact of the breaks they provide. Video is a really direct and powerful way for organisations of any size to communicate their key messages and share their stories.
The Shared Stories website has been set up as resource for all those receiving funding through the Better Breaks Fund. It will help you create 1-3 minute video case studies that capture the innovation and quality of your project.
Funded projects
Click here to see all projects that have received funding through the Short Breaks Fund including the Better Breaks programme.
About the Short Breaks Fund
The Short Breaks Fund, including the Better Breaks programme, is managed by the National Carer Organisations through Shared Care Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Ministers. The Short Breaks Fund also incorporates the Creative Breaks programme which provides funding to improve the range and availability of short breaks for adults with care needs and their carers, for young carers and for kinship carers.
Funding breaks for people with care needs and their carers
Funding breaks for disabled children, young people and their families
Direct funding to families to support a personalised break
Making good practice common practice
Latest
07/03/13: The next round of Better Breaks will be opened for applications in September 2013.
07/03/13: Better Breaks projects commencing April 2013 have all been advised of the outcome of their application. Details of funded projects will be published here towards the end of March.
Downloads
Case Study
This is what Sleep Scotland says about the Better Breaks programme
TEENS+ is a full-time project for young adults with severe learning and communication difficulties. Better Breaks funding has enabled us to set up breaks of an evening or a day at the weekend. Communication, independence and the ability to choose is the TEENS+ philosophy and we give all that and fun through Better Breaks! Our young people might choose trips to the museum or over the Forth Rail Bridge, or walks up Arthur’s Seat. They can meet friends for lunch, try out different places for tea and show their befriender the way home on the number 38 bus. For carers it means the chance of some time for themselves, for example for trips to concerts, the cinema, the gym or just a moment of private space. This fund really has allowed us to make a huge difference to our young people and their families.
Family Fund
Direct funding for families is available through The Family Fund. Their programme is called Take a Break. Eligible families in Scotland, caring for disabled children and young people, will be able to apply directly to the Fund for financial help to arrange a short break. More information on how to apply for this funding can be found at: www.takeabreakscotland.org.uk.
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