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A Short History of Shared Care Scotland

'From tiny acorns...' sums up SCS's modest beginnings. It started as a tiny network of professionals, carers and respite carers, meeting in different parts of Scotland and committed to developing family-based respite care. In fact its name at that time was The Scottish Association of Family-based Respite Care, and it was because that was such a mouthful that Shared Care Scotland came to be preferred.

It nearly stalled at the start. The then Scottish Office saw the need for an organisation to support fledgling respite services and considered funding one of the big disability charities, but in the end looked for a generic organisation rather than one tied to a specific disability. When SCS was offered the grant the Committee thought about turning it down as a step too far to employ staff. Fortunately they didn't and went ahead.

The grant was very modest, just enough for one worker and some secretarial hours. Fortunately Fife Council had a flat available on Abbeyview Estate just off the M90. The office opened early in 2003, furnished largely with second-hand furniture donated by Aberdeen Council and Standard Life!

The next phase

The challenge now was to increase the resources and develop a track record. The resources were increased bit by bit. When the local tenants association and family centre went bust we were able to move into their more spacious premises. A full-time secondment for 18 months was negotiated with the DHSS to give us an Information Officer and that was eventually picked up half from a trust fund and half from the Scottish Office, as one response to the Patchwork Quilt Report which had shown how patchy and threadbare respite provision was in many parts of the country.

The Board faced several dilemmas at this point: should it focus just on Family-based respite care or try to support all types of short breaks? The decision to broaden out was taken only after a lot of heart-searching. Secondly, should we try to plug the many service gaps by seeking local funding and becoming a service provider or to remain small and lean? The second course was chosen, enabling us to work with everyone, not competing with other organisations or distracted by service responsibilities. That has remained our position to this day. Thirdly, what range of tasks should we apply our slender resources to? It was decided to model SCS as a sort of national-level specialist Council of Voluntary Service providing information; helping to coordinate action and learning, campaigning and representing, and encouraging innovation. This is also largely our position today.

Milestones

Of the many events and developments along the way, just a few to give a flavour:

The Roadshow. Over a two-month period, 63 events were held from Dumfries to Stornoway, Islay to Aberdeen, as a travelling display in a borrowed post-bus linked up with local activists and services.

'Crossing the Boundaries'. Conferences local and national have been a big way of moving things on. On 16-17 March 1998 we hosted an international event in Edinburgh, which spotlighted exciting developments in USA, Canada and Scandinavia, and particularly in Scotland. It was a real catalyst.

'One Good Turn'. 10 years ago in 1999, a sponsored bike ride in Turkey from Gallipoli to Ephesus raised £24k all of which was used to grant-aid 13 local initiatives around Scotland.

Fife Project. Lottery funding was offered for a major project between 1999 and 2002 to test the value of having a base in one area. A lot of important activities in Fife were supported.

In 2006 a programme of 23 events which reached over 250 people across Scotland to promote the short break support needs of carers and service users in Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

From 2007, the expansion of our Sharing Practice Network which now regularly attracts 40-50 lead officers and coordinators from Scotland’s Councils and Health Partnerships, and in 2010 the launch of a new service providers network.

In 2008 the launch of a brand new online directory of short breaks and respite care services, and, in 2010 the launch of an exciting Inspiring Breaks programme of local workhops which is being led by carers and people with long term conditions.

Another way to present SCS's history would be to describe the hundreds of people who have contributed to our work and of course help fund our activities. That the organisation is still thriving 21 years on is a tribute to them all. Short Breaks have advanced a long way from the days when much was provided in hospital and when the value of voluntary organisations was not really recognised. But the challenges have not gone away, far from it, and it is safe to predict that SCS will still be needed in another 21 years!