Research reports

In this section of the website you’ll find links to various pieces of research relating to short breaks and respite care. Where relevant, we’ll also provide links to other websites containing research on carers, disability and independent living.

We’ll be updating this section on a regular basis and would be pleased to receive any suggestions for new items.

NOTE: as documents do get moved around websites, if the link does not work then try cutting and pasting the name of the research paper into Google or another search engine.

• Evidence of impact of short breaks (respite care)
• Care21: The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland
• Planning / Personalisation
• Trends / Statistics
• Condition Specific
• Other useful sites

Evidence of impact of short breaks (respite care)

• NEW New Approaches to Supporting Carers’ Health and Well-being: Evidence from the National Carers’ Strategy Demonstrator Sites programme (includes section on breaks from caring), 2011, CIRCLE, University of Leeds
• Evaluation of Action for Children Short Break Services on outcomes for children, Action for Children, Loughborough University
• The Social  & Economic Value of Short Breaks, NEF Consulting for Action for Children and the Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign, December 2009 
• Carers’ Views on, and Experience of, Respite Care and Charges for the Service in the Rural Areas of Highland
• A systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different models of community-based respite care for frail older people and their carers, National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment, April 2007
• Cost savings due to respite - research summary, National Respite Coalition Task Force (USA), 2006
• Cost/benefit analysis of respite services for carers of people with dementia, University of York, 2004
• Making a Break, developing a methodology for measuring the impact of respite services, Robert Gordon University, 2004

Care 21: The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland

• Headline report, recommendations & appendices, Scottish Executive, 2006

Planning/Personalisation

• NEW New Briefing Papers on Short Breaks for Disabled Children (Commissioning, Family Participation, Personalised Funding), 2011, National Development Team for Inclusion, Centre for Disability Research 
• It's about time: an overview of short break (respite care) planning and provision in Scotland, Shared Care Scotland, 2010
• A review of respite provision in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government, 2010
• Inequalities in Respite Service Provision:Insights from a National, Longitudinal Study of People with Intellectual Disabilities, Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, Ireland, 2009 
• Carers and Training, research carried out by Coalition of Carers in Scotland to identify gaps in training provision for carers, 2006
• Study into the implementation of Direct Payments in Scotland for those who use care services, University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow, 2006
• In Our Blood: respite services, family care and Asian communities in Leicester, University of Leicester, 2003
• Development of a Respite Strategy, (produced for Aberdeen City Council), Robert Gordon University, 2003
• Respite Definitions: Definitions and Policy, a background paper prepared for the MS Society, Robert Gordon University, 2001 
• The role of children's hospices in providing respite care, JRF, 1999

Trends/Statistics

• NEW Scottish Government Statistical Report on Short Breaks (Respite) 2011
• NEW Shared Care Scotland Summary of Short Breaks (Respite) Data 2011
• Scottish Government Statistical Report on Short Breaks (Respite) 2010
• Scottish Government Breakdown of Respite Care Stats 2006-2010
• Scottish Government Statistical Report on Short Breaks (Respite) 2009
• Characteristics and experiences of unpaid carers in Scotland, published by the Scottish Executive, 2006
• Analysis of Data Sources on Unpaid Carers in Scotland, Scottish Government, 2010

Condition specific

• NEW An Evaluation of Short Breaks and Intensive Support Services to Families and Disabled Young People whose Behaviour is Severely Challenging, Roy McConkey, University of Ulster, Action for Children, January 2011
• SCIE Research briefing 5: Short breaks (respite care) for children with learning disabilities, 2005
• Short Break Services for People with Dementia and their Carers in Scotland, Alzheimer Scotland, 2004
• Dementia's Cultural Challenge, Open University, 2003
• Respite services for adults with learning difficulties, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1996
• Better for the Break? Summary of Findings: Support for children and teenagers with autistic spectrum disorders and their families

Other useful sites:

• Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Kings Fund
• Social Work Scotland
• Scottish Government Research Department
• University of Glasgow, Community Care Works
• Google Scholar
• Shared Care Network