010...the breakthrough manifesto

This manifesto for change from Shared Care Scotland was first published as ‘work in progress’ in April 2009.  Since then we have been taking views from around the country to ensure we have identified the main priorities and placed emphasis in the right places.  It is of course difficult to reach a consensus on action particularly when peoples' experience of services can be so varied.  However, we hope the vision and aims does reflect what people have told us is most important and, in doing so, will provide a strong focus for our campaigning activities over the next 3-years... and hopefully those of others too.  

We recognise our aims are ambitious particularly in the current economic environment when money will have to be hard fought for.  However, we believe strongly that the value that accrues from respite is exceptional.  Support given to carers to give them an occasional break from caring has been shown to promote better health and well being, to strengthen family stability and sustain caring relationships. 

Additional money is not the only answer of course.  Much will be achieved by organisations working more effectively across services and budgets.  By involving carers and the people who use short break services in designing the support they want, we can work in partnership to achieve better outcomes for all concerned.

We are encouraged by the fact that there are lots of examples of imaginative, people-centred services already in place.  We know there are many caring and professional staff committed to providing the best possible experience they can.  We can draw inspiration from these examples and work together to turn good practice into common practice.

This is a long journey but we are already a good bit along the way.  We believe it's time to refocus and redouble our efforts.  

Shared Care Scotland, January 2010

Click here to download a printable version of the Manifesto

Short breaks are an essential part of the overall support that families and carers need to help them care for a family member, partner or friend.  For those with care needs, a short break from the daily routine can provide a much-needed boost to their health, self-esteem and sense of wellbeing.  Despite the known benefits, many people still do not have access to appropriate services and support to help them have a break.  As a consequence many people struggle on until they can no longer cope. 

Our vision is that everyone will be able to have a break when they need it, with a choice of quality-assured services to meet different needs and priorities.  Our vision is that short breaks will be something people will plan together and look forward to. 

This campaign to transform services therefore has the following aims:

• To make high quality, imaginative and affordable short break services available to all unpaid carers in Scotland. 
• To substantially increase the short break options available to suit people with different needs and priorities. 
• To give people greater choice and control over how, when and where their short breaks are provided.
• To make sure that short break support continues as people grow older and health conditions change.
• To put people using short break services at the centre of planning and commissioning services in their local area. 
• To make sure that an emergency response plan is available to anyone who needs it allowing for appropriate replacement care in emergency situations.

The Breakthrough Manifesto: Turning the Vision into Reality - The 10 Point Plan What we need to achieve the vision...

1. National and local government taking a leadership role to oversee the translation of the vision into action and putting in place the necessary targets, plans, resources and monitoring arrangements to make it happen.
2. A nationally coordinated ‘Short Break Transformation Fund’ for local authorities and their community planning partners to increase the availability of more flexible, personalised and community-based provision. 
3. Comprehensive local audits of short break provision to set down what’s in place, what works and what doesn’t, and what needs to happen to make progress towards the vision.  This should be a first step before any application for transformation funding and requires meaningful involvement of carers, service users and service providers.
4. Local Short Break Transformation Plans with improvement targets, resource commitments, timescales and measures for tracking progress and evaluating results.  These plans direct the efforts and resources of all stakeholders, including health, towards achieving the improvement targets.
5. New national guidance for local authorities and their partners on commissioning and monitoring short break services to achieve better outcomes for all.
6. Carers and service users to be treated as key partners who are fully involved in the development, implementation and monitoring of the local transformation plans.
7. Transformation Leaders to drive forward the transformation programme and its implementation at a local level.  They will work closely with, and be accountable to, local carers and service users and ensure effective joint working with other stakeholders.
8. Local Short Break Coordinators to act as a central point of contact for those seeking advice, information and support in arranging a short break and to help people through service transitions.
9. Opportunities to share knowledge and experiences so that those involved in planning and delivering services can exchange information, ideas and good practice and collaborate on the development of new approaches. 
10. The Scottish Government delivering on its manifesto commitment to introduce a guaranteed minimum entitlement to breaks from caring for those in greatest need.  However, we believe the success of this will very much depend on the extent to which the other steps have been taken forward.

Support the manifesto by signing the online petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/breakthrough2010/