Adult social care – respite and short breaks

As part of the information gathering exercise, we are keen to understand more about other council’s adult social care processes. 
 
1. What is your organisation’s approach to respite/short breaks in the person’s own home?  Are you able to share any policies or processes with us?

Devon County Council: Please see our Devon County Council Adult Carers Policy at the following link Adult Carers Policy – Adult Social Care. This document details our policies for supporting Carers and references our commissioning approach to Replacement Care (Item 6).

Devon Carers Commissioned Service: We commission the Devon Carers Service to deliver the Time For You Sitting Service. The terms are as follows:

• A Carer can call and speak to one of Devon Carers Helpline Assistants to book onto the service.
• The service could be a regular arrangement of between a couple of hours a week, or something more ad hoc.
• Time For You operates between 9am-5pm, Monday – Friday​
• Volunteers can sit for 1-3 hours at a time.
• Time For You is not able to provide emergency or short notice care
• Devon Carers is unable to accept referrals where there is a personal care requirement​

Please see the Devon Carers website at the following link for more details Time For You sitting service – Devon Carers.

2. How do you promote respite/short breaks in the persons own home over more traditional options, i.e. respite/short breaks in a care home setting?

Devon County Council actively promotes respite and short breaks within a person’s own home as a key alternative to traditional care home settings:

• Devon Carers Contract: We commission the Devon Carers service, which includes a range of support options designed to enable Carers to take breaks while ensuring continuity of care in the individual’s home.
• Time For You Sitting Service: A key part of this offer is the Time For You Sitting Service, which provides home-based replacement care, allowing Carers to take time for themselves while ensuring the person they care for remains in a familiar environment.

Accelerated Reform Fund Investment: We have strategically utilised Accelerated Reform Fund monies to enhance and expand home-based respite options. This includes:

• An enhanced sitting service to provide more flexible and tailored support.
• Investment in Care Free Breaks and Shared Lives, which offer innovative respite solutions outside of traditional residential care.

Through these initiatives, we prioritise and promote home-based respite options to better support Carers and individuals in maintaining independence and receiving care in a setting that best meets their needs.

3. Can you share any data on the different types of respite solutions/short break placements made in your authority area e.g. number of respite/short breaks in own home versus traditional respite/short break placements in the past 2-years?

 

 

4. How do you ensure that practitioners/social workers consider respite/short breaks in the persons own home?  Is this included in the assessment and review process?

Devon County Council adheres to the Care Act 2014, which mandates that Carers are entitled to a Carer’s Assessment. This assessment evaluates how caring responsibilities impact a Carer’s life, including their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as their ability to engage in work and recreational activities.

The assessment process is designed to be person-centred, focusing on the Carer’s individual needs and preferences. It explicitly explores the type of support the Carer feels would be beneficial, including options for respite or short breaks. This ensures that Carers have the opportunity to express their desires regarding home-based replacement care.

Furthermore, the assessment considers the Carer’s willingness to continue in their caring role and examines the impact of caring on various aspects of their life, such as personal relationships, access to work, education, or training, and participation in leisure activities. This comprehensive approach ensures that replacement care or short breaks, including those in the person’s own home, are considered during the assessment and review processes.

5. Do you have any Key performance Indicators (KPIs) or targets in place in relation to respite/short breaks in the persons own home?  If so, please could you share? 

In our Devon Carers Specification, we have specific KPI’s surrounding the following:

• Carer Involvement in Personal Budgets and Direct Payments – Data on Management and Uptake of Direct Payments by Carers.
• Carer Facing Targeted Level of Support for Time For You Sitting Service.