Shaping the future of short breaks: Exploring new ideas and possibilities in short breaks provision
Shaping the future of short breaks: Exploring new ideas and possibilities in short breaks provision
Join us at our national conference in Stirling on 2nd October 2024
Innovating | Connecting | Influencing
Showcasing the very best in personalised short breaks provision
Encouraging networking and learning
Creating space for innovative and strategic thinking
Inspiring through shared experiences and learning
Conference programme
Optional early birds session
8.55am: Link up with Latika
- Jo Chopra, Executive Director, Latika, Dehradun, India
- Kate Hogarth, Head of Policy & Communications, Shared Care Scotland
Before the main conference, there is an optional session featuring a live link with Jo Chopra, co-founder and Executive Director of Latika in north India in conversation with Kate Hogarth. Latika is a pioneering not-for-profit organisation that supports children and adults with disabilities, as well as their caregivers.
9.15am: Registration
9.50am: Welcome & overview
- Don Williamson, Chief Executive, Shared Care Scotland
- Mairi Damer, Conference Chair
Setting course
- Joette Thomas, Animate
We’ll start your day by helping you set your intentions for the conference returning to these at the end of the day.
Shaping a positive future for short breaks
“…a future Scotland where all those receiving care, along with unpaid carers, can enjoy regular, meaningful breaks that promote health, wellbeing and happiness.”
Our panel will share their views on the evolving landscape of short breaks care, discussing vital changes needed to secure a future where both carers and those they support can consistently access the breaks they want and need.
- Mark Bevan, CEO, Leuchie House
- Maggie Chiwanza, CEO, MECOPP
- Dr Ron Culley, CEO, Quarriers
- Gill White, PAMIS (Promoting A More Inclusive Society)
- Mairi Damer, Panel Moderator
Coffee break & marketplace
Breakout sessions A
A choice of workshops showcasing diverse and innovative approaches to delivering personalised and sustainable short breaks, and the challenges that have been overcome.
Lunch & marketplace
Breakout sessions B
A choice of workshops showcasing diverse and innovative approaches to delivering personalised and sustainable short breaks, and the challenges that have been overcome.
Coffee break
Empowering communities: shaping the future of short breaks through local solutions and social justice
- Sian Lockwood, OBE, FRSE, Chair, Coalition for Personalised Care
Sian will share her journey and insights gained from her extensive work with charities, her advocacy for small-scale community-led solutions, and her efforts in shaping policy and regulatory environments. This session will underscore the importance of empowering local communities to create sustainable and effective short break services, aligning with our conference’s focus on the future of short breaks.
The power of music
- Andy Lowndes, Founding Trustee & The Music Detective, Playlist for Life
Andy will share his expertise on the transformative power of music, especially for individuals with dementia and their carers. This session will highlight the importance of personal connections and the therapeutic benefits of music, offering a memorable and heartwarming conclusion to the conference.
Anchoring insights
Join us for a wrap-up session where we'll reflect on key takeaways, share insights, and plan our next steps. A great way to turn today’s inspiration into action!
Invitation to ISBA, Santiago, Chile, 2025
- Matías Poblete, President of ISBA
Join us for a short video presentation inviting you to the International Short Breaks Association Conference (ISBA) in Santiago, Chile, in 2025.
4.15pm: Final remarks & close
Our keynote speakers
We're delighted to be joined by speakers and panelists from across the sector, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with delegates. Read more about them below.
Mairi Damer
We're delighted that Mairi Damer joins us for the second time as the host of our national conference. Mairi is founder of WordUp Communications and is "a straight-talking, plain English speaking, highly experienced broadcast journalist and producer." Mairi recently trained the Shared Care Scotland team in 'how to write right' and we're looking forward to her fantastic blend of honesty, dynamism, and positivity for our conference.
Mark Bevan
Mark Bevan is the CEO of Leuchie House, a national respite charity providing short breaks in a country house setting. Leuchie’s teams deliver personalised programmes to enhance the health, wellbeing, and independence of people with neurological conditions. The organisation is also a centre for research and development of new healthcare interventions and technologies. Mark is a Trustee of Shared Care Scotland and has previously held roles as Country Director for Amnesty International, Managing Director of the Prince of Wales’ Business in the Community Scotland, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, and Director of Services at Capability Scotland.
Maggie Chiwanza
As the CEO of MECOPP, an organisation dedicated to supporting BME carers and carers with protected characteristics, Maggie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. With an impressive 25-year career in the health and social care sector and she has established herself as a leader in the field. Maggie is dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of carers and those with protected characteristics, striving to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.
Andy Lowndes
Andy is a former mental health nurse and a retired academic from Glasgow Caledonian University. Andy founded Playlist for Life with writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson following Sally’s experience in caring for her mother. As ‘The Music Detective,’ Andy helps people with dementia and works with families and carers to identify Personally Meaningful Music for the person with the disease. Andy will present real life examples showing how music can have almost magical results as part of an individual's care.
Gill White
Gill White began her career in financial services, co-running a business in Edinburgh with her husband. Her life shifted dramatically when their son, Leo, was born with Ohtahara Syndrome, an extremely rare form of epilepsy characterised by intractable seizures and severe developmental delay. Both parents took extended leave to care for Leo, who defied expectations by living longer than doctors predicted, though he required constant care. Inspired by Leo’s struggle with epilepsy, Gill wrote ‘Leo and the Lightning Dragons’. Her desire to share stories with him in a way he could understand led her to Multi-Sensory Storytelling, using sensory props to make stories accessible using all the senses. This deepened through her work with PAMIS (Promoting A More Inclusive Society), the Story Massage Programme, and Storysharing®, which empowers those with communication difficulties to tell their own stories.
Ron Culley
Ron Culley was appointed CEO at Quarriers in April 2020. Ron previously worked as the Chief Officer of the Western Isles Health and Social Care Partnership. Before that, he worked in Edinburgh for COSLA, the national body representing Scottish local government.
Sian Lockwood
Sian has spent her working life as a passionate advocate for small-scale relational community-led solutions that helped other local people. After founding Community Catalysts in 2009, Sian worked for a policy, legislative, regulatory and bureaucratic environment that enables people to use their gifts, talents and imagination to create enterprising services and ventures that help other people in their neighbourhood. Sian retired from her role as CEO of Community Catalysts at the end of July. Sian has continued into retirement to fight for personalised community-based support and services for people who need that help to live their lives. recently launching, with her friend and colleague Angela Catley, the movement When I Get Old, which aims to bring the direct voice of older people to bear on social care and health policy and provision. Sian was awarded an OBE for services to social care in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Jo Chopra
Jo, a founder and Executive Director of Latika Roy Foundation (now Latika), is a dedicated advocate for social justice and children’s rights. A former criminal jailed for organising peace movements, she met her husband Ravi during a civil rights march. Jo is admired for her integrity, generosity, and ability to inspire others. Her talents include photography and baking, and she is deeply committed to creating a better world for disabled children. Her positive influence and faith in human goodness make her a beloved figure at Latika. Jo’s beloved daughter, Moy Moy, who has passed away, remains a cherished part of her legacy and continues to inspire Jo’s relentless efforts.
Trailblazer workshops
Find more details about our workshops taking place at our conference
Hosts: Margaret Petherbridge with Lynda Wright, Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre
‘Funding Flexibility in Achieving Outcomes’
Using experience of delivering meaningful short breaks during the pandemic, we will show how the focus on outcomes for carers led to a more flexible use of small budgets to deliver personalised breaks and how it helped carers to understand the importance of thinking about their own outcomes.
This was against a backdrop of pandemic restrictions and a lack of access to overnight short breaks, except in circumstances where there was critical need. The approach has become a part of normal short breaks delivery and is delivered in partnership with the Falkirk Carers Centre.
Joint hosts: Kerry Donaghy, Respitality Manager, Shared Care Scotland - respitality
‘Collaborating for Carers: The Respitality Initiative and Hospitality's Role’
Chris Gunn, Business Operations Manager, Falkirk Foundation
‘Falkirk Foundation and Matchday Experience’
Learn about Shared Care Scotland's unique Respitality initiative, which provides essential short breaks for unpaid carers. We’ll explore how this innovative programme collaborates with hospitality providers across Scotland to offer complimentary breaks, helping carers recharge. We’ll also hear from Falkirk Foundation, the official charity of Falkirk Football Club, as they share their inspiring experience of offering matchday experiences to carers and their families. Additionally, we’ll take the opportunity to gather your ideas on potential new Respitality break offerings.
Host: Joette Thomas, Animate Consulting
‘Leaning into the Future of Short Breaks’
This workshop will be an opportunity to think with others about what future offers and opportunities for short breaks can look like and begin to think about what steps we might take together to get there. What can we learn from the past and present, and how might we adapt and develop high quality short-break provision in future?
Host 1: *Catriona MacRitchie, Commissioned Service Lead, Alzheimer Scotland - Western Isles
‘Sharing practice and experience of tackling barriers facing carers of people living with dementia accessing support and services in a remote and rural location’.
*Joining online
This workshop will share practice and experience from Alzheimer Scotland Western Isles team on how they design and deliver a local programme of support, groups and activities which tackles and overcomes some rural barriers facing carers of people living with dementia from accessing the support and services offered.
Host 2: Farah Maiza, Volunteer Coordinator, East Renfrewshire Carer Centre
‘Dementia Walking Buddies Project’
Dementia Walking buddies is an ideation workshop that will focus on presenting a new idea of short breaks for carers. East Renfrewshire Carers Centre have been piloting the Dementia Walking Buddies (DWB) project since February 2023, following an increase in carers looking to support a family member living with Dementia to access a health walk
The buddy service provides one to one volunteer support for individuals living with dementia to attend a health and wellbeing local walk, an activity which not only benefits the person living with dementia, but also give their carer some time for themselves.
Host 1: Carol Hawman, Carol Hawman Consultancy
‘A Blueprint for Excellence’
This workshop will introduce participants to the Blueprint for Short Breaks Brokerage Services. This trailblazing blueprint was developed by Shared Care Scotland, in partnership with carer support professionals, to provide a model for high-quality short breaks brokerage services across Scotland. We will explore the model and, by exchanging ideas between participants, identify how it might support you to establish and/or further develop your service. If you want to keep developing the best possible service for your carers, this is the workshop for you!
Host 2: Marthe Hastie, Team Leader, Dundee Carers Centre
"Conversations not Applications" - a brokerage insight from Dundee Carers Centre’
This workshop will give participants a brief history of how Dundee Carers Centre's short breaks practice has evolved into the brokerage model we use today. The workshop aims to share what we have learned along the way and to showcase why we believe brokerage is the perfect model for delivering personalised short breaks for unpaid carers.
Hosts: Kerry Donaghy, Respitality Manager, Shared Care Scotland - respitality and Pam McCready, VSA - Aberdeenshire
‘The journey is as important as the destination: the different models of Respitality across Scotland, as told by the delivery partners’
This workshop will demonstrate to attendees what our social tourism initiative Respitality can look like in different parts of Scotland, and how each approach (and part of the journey) works in its own unique way. Our local delivery network will be sharing some of their experiences through video messages and in person.
Hosts 2: Rosemary McLoughlin, CEO & Andrew Warburton, Partnership and Business Manager, VOCAL
‘Wee Breaks Enterprise - taking an enterprising approach to short breaks’
Hear about VOCAL's experience of setting up and running holiday homes for carers, the advantages of carers centres leading similar enterprises and the role of cross sector partnerships. We will explore the practicalities of this type of short break provision, the opportunities to address issues such as replacement care and affordability - key barriers for carers taking a short break - and share carer stories and experiences.
Host: Joette Thomas, Animate Consulting
‘Leaning into the Future of Short Breaks’
This workshop will be an opportunity to think with others about what future offers and opportunities for short breaks can look like and begin to think about what steps we might take together to get there. What can we learn from the past and present, and how might we adapt and develop high quality short-break provision in future?
Host: Donna Lawrie, Family Mental Health & Development Worker & Shirell Johnson, Gypsy/Traveller Women’s Voices Development Worker, MECOPP
‘MECOPP's Gypsy/Traveller Project - Cultural Awareness & Short Break Experiences’
Develop your understanding of the Gypsy/Traveller community in Scotland, hear about the experiences of Gypsy/Traveller carers and cared for individuals, and find out how MECOPP have supported the community with short breaks.
Hosts 1: Frances Pat, Inclusion Co-ordinator and Roisin Deville, Family Support Co-ordinator, the Indigo group
‘A whole family approach to short breaks’
We will follow a family's journey to illustrate how a family led approach has helped us to innovate and shape our service that meets whole family outcomes. In this session we will aim to explore;
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how we embed Inclusion as a Family led practice
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how we innovate and grow our service around families
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how we build our and families community connections
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how we use our platform to share information, skills and advocate for families
Hosts 2: Maureen Phillip, Creative Arts Director & Gill White, Family Carer, pamis
‘Valued, Included and Belonging in our Communities’
The aims of this workshop are:
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to discuss the opportunities that exist within communities to enable them to contribute, collaborate and put innovation at the heart of the short breaks sector
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to discuss short breaks in terms of what that means to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD)and their families
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to demonstrate and discuss how working with and supporting communities to offer ongoing and sustainable programmes that engage, include and make people with PMLD and their families feel a part of their communities
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to discuss the barriers experienced on this journey
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to have fun!
Shaping the future of short breaks: Exploring new ideas and possibilities in short breaks provision
Join us at our national conference in Stirling on 2nd October 2024
