Respite for carers: how to get a break from caring

What is respite for carers?

Respite for carers is a break from caring, while someone else looks after the person you care for. It might be a few hours, a regular night off or a week away. The help can come to the house, or happen somewhere else.

Some carers use the time to sleep, see friends or keep up with work. Others use it for a holiday. A break is a normal part of caring, so you don’t need to wait for a crisis to ask.

What kinds of break are there?

There are more choices than most people expect. Here are the main ones, and you can mix them.

• Care at home: a paid carer comes in for a few hours, or for a whole week while you’re away.
• A day centre: the person you care for spends the day with other people. Many offer transport, but there may be a charge.
• A sitting service: a trained volunteer keeps them company for a few hours, often for free or a small charge.
• A short stay away: some care homes take short stays, and some let you book ahead.
• Family and friends: someone moves in for a while, or the person you care for goes to stay with them.
• A holiday: you go away while someone else cares, or you go together and book care where you’re staying.

Grants can help with some of the cost. See our guide to grants and other ways to pay for a break.

Are carers entitled to respite?

You’re entitled to a carer’s assessment, and that’s where respite starts. Under the Care Act 2014, the council must assess any carer who appears to need support. That’s true however much care you give, and whatever money you have.

If the assessment finds eligible needs, the council must help meet them.

There’s no set number of respite days or weeks in law. What you get depends on your assessment and the support plan you agree. One family might need a week away each year, while another needs a regular night off.

Our guide to respite under the Care Act 2014 explains the rules in more detail.

How do you ask for a carer’s assessment?

Contact adult social care at the council where the person you care for lives. You can usually ask online or by phone. You don’t need their permission, and they don’t need to be getting help from the council already.

In Kent, call Kent County Council on 03000 41 61 61, or use its online form. A local carers’ organisation can also help you ask. Elsewhere, search for your council’s name and “carer’s assessment” to find the right page.

The assessment is a conversation about you, not a test. Most councils do it face to face, though some do it by phone. It looks at your health, your work, your free time and your relationships, and you can bring someone with you.

What should you say in a carer’s assessment?

Describe a normal week in detail, because the details are what the council acts on. Say what you help with, how often you’re up in the night, and what you’ve had to give up. If you’d like a break, say what kind and how often.

• What you do each day and each night, with rough times.
• Anything you find hard, such as lifting or broken sleep.
• How caring affects your work, your health and the rest of your family.
• The kind of break you’d like, and how often.
• What happens now if you’re ill or have to be away.

Who pays for respite?

The carer’s assessment is free. If the council arranges care to give you a break, the person you care for is the one receiving it. So if there’s a charge, they pay it, not you.

Any charge depends on a check of their finances, and some councils don’t charge for it at all.

The council can also help you directly, for example with a direct payment for things that make caring easier. Councils don’t have to charge carers for this, and the official guidance advises against it in most cases.

If you pay for a break yourself, charities can help. Carers Trust and Turn2us both list grants for carers. Some charities pay for a cover carer, rather than the trip itself.

Will a break affect your Carer’s Allowance?

A short break won’t usually affect your Carer’s Allowance. You only need to tell the DWP if you stop caring for more than 28 days. The limit is 12 weeks if either of you is in hospital, a nursing home or respite care.

Having a carer’s assessment won’t change your Carer’s Allowance either. The rules can change, so check the latest guidance on GOV.UK before a long break.

Can you take a holiday together?

Yes, and for many families that’s the break they want most. Someone else does some of the hands-on help, so you can rest without being apart. It can work with your own PA, an agency where you’re staying or care booked with the holiday.

If the person you care for has a direct payment, it can often pay for their care while they’re away. The council decides, so ask before you book. Our guide on using direct payments for a holiday explains what to ask.

Check the holiday home as carefully as the care. Ask for the door widths, the bed heights, the hoist’s details and where a carer will sleep. Our checklist for choosing an accessible holiday cottage covers what to ask before you pay.

What if you care for a child?

If you look after a disabled child, ask your council’s children’s services for a parent carer needs assessment. Councils must also offer short breaks for disabled children, and publish what’s on offer in their area.

Family Fund gives grants towards holidays for families on lower incomes who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child.

Frequently asked questions

How carers use Restwell

Restwell is a private, single-storey holiday bungalow in Whitstable. It has a ceiling track hoist, two profiling beds and a level wet room. Some families bring their own PA, who can have the second double bedroom or the sofa bed.

Others ask our sister company, Continuity of Care Services, to come in while they’re here. That way, the family carer gets time off without anyone going home.

Continuity is rated Good by the Care Quality Commission, and it gives you a quote once the hours are agreed. Read more about care from our sister company during your stay.