Right to a Break roundtable

Right to a Break roundtable

Shared Care Scotland has published an event report from the Right to a Break Roundtable event, hosted on 31 August.

A group of 22 people representing the diverse nature of breaks from caring discussed the Right to a Break, part of the proposed National Care Service. Attendees included unpaid carers, representatives from carers centres, local authorities, Care Inspectorate, and national organisations.

Their purpose was to gather input, recommendations, and ideas to help inform Shared Care Scotland’s contributions to the development and implementation of this right.

The Right to a Break, which is part of the upcoming National Care Service Bill, was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 20 June 2022. This Bill will enshrine the right to a break for unpaid carers in law and remove eligibility criteria for breaks from unpaid caring.

During the roundtable discussions two questions emerged: what is a sufficient break from caring? And what barriers need to be overcome in order to ensure that carers fully benefited from the right to a break.  The removal of eligibility criteria on breaks from caring, means that the term “sufficient” and its definition plays a pivotal role in how carers will experience a Right to a Break.

The number and variety of barriers that must be overcome to provide the optimum breaks from caring was the topic of much discussion. These included the need to recognise the importance of caring roles, a more flexible person-centred approach to short break provision, a competitive and agile third sector, a better and more proactive approach when providing carers with information on short breaks.