Shared Care Scotland

12/06/2026

Day 5 - Business and services

We are happy to take the opportunity to spotlight a recent partnership with TSG, having just taken delivery of fantastic VR headsets to distribute in our network of delivery partners funded by them.

Unpaid carers have benefitted from headsets which are accessed at home and in the comfort of carer organisations during wellbeing events and support groups. Whether it's virtual tourism, games or a focus on wellness, they are a brilliant resource.

TSG has committed to donate 2% of each year’s annual profits / EBITDA to support good causes. Respitality are delighted to have been selected as one of them - it's a brilliant example of creative ways businesses in any industry can donate, helping the unpaid carer community.

If you'd like to find out more about how your organisation can help, we'd love to hear from you:
https://www.respitality.org.uk/
Respitality

12/06/2026

Our short breaks brokerage programme is back for 2026–2027 📣

After a successful first programme, we're offering 10 months of facilitated personal and professional learning and development, peer support, and positive action making use of our innovative short breaks brokerage resources. This programme is for colleagues working in short breaks in both the third and the public sector.

🗓️ We're hosting an online introductory session on Wednesday 15 July, 10.30am–12.00pm for those interested in taking part. Register here: https://ow.ly/lbHJ50ZaZAJ

12/06/2026

11/06/2026

Day 4 - Education

Education shouldn’t be used for meaningful short breaks for parent carers. Suitable leisure provision is important to be able to enjoy breaks with children . This report, published in partnership with East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership highlights why even simple trips to the park can pose challenges to people caring for children with additional support needs.

This report examines:
☀️ The overall feeling from carers was that the summer period is a difficult time with limited choices of places to go and things to do that suit them and their children with additional needs.

☀️ Why carers feel restrained, restricted and stuck. Looking at issues around universal activities and why they are not possible for many families due to a lack of specialist supports.

☀️ The huge difference specialist provision makes to families, where available.

📚Take a look at the report:
https://ow.ly/w3pc50Z8P3C

💻 We are hosting a webinar to discuss the report on Tuesday 8 September at 11am, please register your interest below:
https://ow.ly/zKF150Z8P3z

10/06/2026

Disability Equality Scotland are recruiting up to six volunteers to join their Board of Directors - interested? Find out more:
https://disabilityequality.scot/news/join-us-board-opportunity/

10/06/2026

Thank you LifeCare Edinburgh - a great reminder just how many people are impacted by unpaid care, and the benefits short breaks can offer✨

10/06/2026

Day 3 - Work
🥳We are proud to celebrate Carers Week 2026 - an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

Today's theme is work, focusing on the challenges unpaid carers face when balancing work with their caring responsibilities.

We are passionate that work is not a break. There are many examples of how Time to Live have been used creatively to provide breaks, while juggling caring with work, just like Susan:
https://www.sharedcarescotland.org.uk/short-breaks-stories/susan-s-story-round-the-world-from-home/

09/06/2026

Day 2 - Social care

Tuesday's Carers Week theme is social care. While we might think of formal services, we want to explore social care in its widest sense. While we know the challenges unpaid carers experience accessing short breaks - such as transport, guilt, and lack of flexibility and availability - there are also examples of good practice in short breaks planning and delivery across Scotland.

Learning exchange is key to delivering successful short breaks, especially when establishing carer friendly communities. Venues and staff that can be accessible, e.g. flexible seating and emergency assistance, while being compassionate and understanding can make a huge difference to the quality of short breaks.

Through the Short Breaks Fund and Respitality, we see these good practice examples. One organisation demonstrating this is DeafBlind Scotland, who are currently funded by Creative Breaks to deliver the ‘Wee Breaks' project. While Wee Breaks offers a direct opportunity for unpaid carers to take breaks, as an organisation Deafblind Scotland also look at how they can support the short breaks sector in a wider sense, developing capacity by offering training to venues and staff offering short breaks.

As the Right to a break progresses towards implementation, work to share practice and learning is vital for the development of short breaks provision and ensuring all unpaid carers can access the right breaks for them.

If you are looking for a short break, please visit the directory on our website for more information: https://www.sharedcarescotland.org.uk/short-breaks-fund/



Deafblind Scotland

08/06/2026

🔊2 weeks left to apply! Open until 5:00pm on Monday 22 June

Take a Break Scotland provides cash grants to parents caring for disabled and seriously ill children and young people, aged 0 to 17.

The grant can be used for things like day trips, a short break away, travel costs, additional carer, gardening and home entertainment equipment, and much more. It aims to improve unpaid carers' quality of life and wellbeing by supporting them to access a break from the day-to-day routine of caring.

grants are funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the charity .

👉Find out more and apply online now: https://ow.ly/rBqs50YV075

08/06/2026

🎊Launching TODAY: Holidays or isolation? A local perspective

Today we celebrate day 1 of - Building Carer Friendly Communities with a report produced in partnership with East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership.

Today's theme is Health, and this report looks at the difference the availability of safe spaces promoting health and exercise can make to children and families.

Parents and carers of children with additional support needs have caring responsibilities which are often over and above parents of other children. Parents can generally find it difficult to find suitable childcare or things to do, especially during the long summer break, those with children with additional support needs are further disadvantaged by significant lack of activities and spaces they can access, describing how they feel stuck in their homes.

Read more about the challenges and solutions: https://ow.ly/jTk950Z8H1t

We are hosting a webinar to discuss the report, the findings and your opinions on Tuesday 8 September at 11am. Please register below:
https://ow.ly/bRIZ50Z8H1s