Summary
Carers and cared-for individuals accessed services which were designed to support clients’ emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing while providing access to opportunities for short breaks, via a hybrid model of telephone, video, and in-person centre-based support. Services delivered included: • Emotional support sessions: 1:1 sessions lasting up to 1 hour with Haven Nurses, which provided clients with dedicated time and space for themselves. This offered an opportunity to explore and discuss, for example, current worries, challenges in their caring role, and concerns about the future. It also provided opportunities to openly express and process their emotions and feelings of grief and loss (such as the loss of their loved one as they knew them, the loss of the life they thought they would have, or a loss of identity as caring responsibilities became their largest priority). • Self-management focused wellbeing activities: 1:1 sessions lasting up to 1 hour, including, for example, relaxation, mindfulness, and breathwork. These were accessed both digitally and in-person from within Haven centres. During these sessions, clients were supported to learn elements of these relaxation techniques, which they could then adopt and utilise in their own time for the self-management of their wellbeing. Where appropriate and necessary, clients were provided with therapeutic resources to support their ongoing engagement with and adoption of these self-management techniques. This supported long-lasting improved wellbeing and helped clients incorporate short breaks into their home life routines. Relaxation groups: Created specifically with carers in mind, these groups offered a chance to meet with other carers and relax within the comforting surroundings of The Haven. Run over four weeks, each one-hour session centered on a guided theme which offered a safe setting to unwind, incorporating guided meditation and relaxation techniques to support ongoing wellbeing. Complementary therapy wellbeing activities: 1:1 sessions lasting approximately 1 hour, including reflexology, reiki, and massage. These could only be accessed in-person from within Haven centres. During the project, a greater demand for in-person support made the "sitter service" even more valuable. Where required, the volunteer "sitter service" enabled carers to bring their cared-for loved one to The Haven centre to be well looked after by trained Haven volunteers, ensuring the carer could access their own programme of support without the barriers of arranging replacement care.
What The Haven Caring Counselling Communication Centre has learned
Over the course of the last year, we have gained critical insights into what makes a short break truly accessible, resilient, and impactful for carers: Simultaneous Care is the Ultimate Enabler: We learned that a short break is only logistically viable for many families if their loved one is cared for at the exact same time. Our sitter service proved to be the single enabling factor that allowed some carers to attend; without this safe, trusted, and synchronised environment, families can face overwhelming barriers to accessing support. Our ability to change an in-person appointment to online or telephone support gives the carer an option that works best for them, especially during challenging times. Quality and consistency in service delivery drives sustainable change: In consultation with our carers, we have learned the importance of maintaining a strict, person-centred ethos. We learned that for short breaks to have a lasting impact, a carer must not be rushed or transitioned out of the programme until their personalised outcomes are fully and safely achieved. Protecting the quality of our warm, highly skilled support is at the heart of all we do, ensuring our quality of service is to the highest standard and that support is available when needed. Co-Design Drives Engagement: Our relaxation groups succeed because of a strictly client-driven approach. We design every group around the feedback, schedules, and specific stress factors of our carers. This growth is directly driven by our continuous commitment to consult with, listen to, and learn from the carers themselves. Reaching More Carers Requires Dedicated Pathways: We are actively learning that traditional referral routes often leave the most vulnerable people isolated. To address this, we are currently piloting a new model by establishing our core team and introducing a dedicated Haven Link Worker to embed innovative referral routes. Through this live initiative, we are discovering how to safely open doors for "hidden" carers while ensuring we never dilute the deeply individual attention we provide; The Importance of Evidence-Led Improvement: As we move into the second year of utilising our new database, we have learned that designing carer services requires refining how we measure their success. Evolving our monitoring, evaluation frameworks, and data reporting is essential to better track, isolate, and evidence the profound, visible benefits our carers experience across their physical health, mental resilience, and emotional well-being.
Impact on beneficiaries
The project has been life-changing for our carers. For some, it provided the only break from caring they had ever had, while for others, its value lay in the lasting security of knowing that The Haven is always there, offering an environment with no sudden endings and a permanent place of support for the future. We are extremely proud of this project and the truly meaningful impact it has delivered for the lives of both carers and cared-for individuals. This deep impact is demonstrated through the specific ways each project outcome has been met:
Outcome 1. Carers will have more opportunities to enjoy a life outside of their caring role
The project successfully contributed to this outcome by providing expanded opportunities for carers to access and participate in individual emotional support sessions, individual wellbeing activity sessions (such as reflexology, aromatherapy, and massage), and small group relaxation sessions. These services provided carers with dedicated, uninterrupted time for themselves. For those who were able to leave their cared-for loved one at home or arrange alternative care, our nurses and wellbeing practitioners noted that many reported these wellbeing appointments as the only time they had to themselves each week. As one carer expressed, they were “very grateful for my appointment allowing me to get out the house and get some time to myself.”
However, many carers who attend The Haven manage complex caring roles, making it extremely challenging to arrange alternative care; furthermore, many do not feel comfortable or relaxed when their cared-for person is not with them. To overcome this barrier, our trained volunteers provide a dedicated sitter service so carers and their loved ones can attend The Haven together. While the cared-for individual is safely looked after, the carer can attend their own support sessions. This directly provides them with a meaningful short break and essential time to themselves. As another carer shared: “It is so nice to get a breather, I can’t remember the last time I haven’t been thinking about caring and my to do list.”
Outcome 2. Carers will feel better supported to sustain their caring role
Long-term caregiving resilience was reinforced by equipping carers with self-management tools. 1:1 sessions with Haven Nurses provided a vital outlet to safely navigate the deep emotional complexities, daily anxieties, and feelings of loss associated with their roles. As one carer shared: “I feel this is the first time I have been able just to open up about everything as I try to protect my friends and family.” By providing this neutral, compassionate space outside of the home, we gave carers the emotional support needed to unpack their hidden burdens without worrying about upsetting their immediate circles. Furthermore, the four-week relaxation groups explicitly taught carers mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork techniques. Backed by physical home resources, carers successfully integrated these stress-relief practices into their daily routines. This multi-layered support network ensured carers felt structurally and emotionally sustained, preventing burnout and giving them the strength to continue caring safely at home.
Outcome 3. Carers and the people they care for will have improved wellbeing
The project delivered a measurable, holistic improvement in the physical, mental, and emotional health of all participants. Carers experienced direct relief from somatic stress and muscle tension through professional, hands-on complementary therapies like massage, reflexology, and reiki. For many, the immediate physical release of these complementary therapies offered a rare, deep sanctuary, with one carer sharing that it was “very, very relaxing and soothing and could lie there forever,” while another simply noted, “it was wonderful, so relaxing and feel so much better.”
Simultaneously, the wellbeing of cared-for individuals was uplifted through the sitter service. Attending The Haven together allowed both parties to experience a shared sense of peace without the anxiety of separation. This comprehensive approach successfully reduced the profound isolation felt by complex households and rural clients, leaving participants feeling deeply valued and emotionally uplifted. The tangible physiological impact of these interventions was perfectly highlighted by a carer who noted: “My blood pressure has gone down during my last Doctor's appointment. I honestly think it is because I am coming here. Nothing else has changed and I really can’t believe it because it was very high. I’m sure of it.”