MAY 2022
Shared Care Scotland commissioned Iriss to provide them with timely, robust information about the impact of the Short Breaks Fund Time to Live (TtL) grant scheme on unpaid adult carers’ personal outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence about barriers and enablers for carers in accessing TtL grants and the experience of carer centres as delivery partners of managing TtL grants during the pandemic was also gathered.
Eighteen interviews took place between October and December 2021: twelve with carers, six with carers centres. This report explores key areas in relation to the impact of TtL short breaks on carers’ personal outcomes and sustainability of the breaks. The report also examines the processes that underpin these breaks, including how centres promote TtL funding and how they identify and record outcomes.
Alongside the report, we are also publishing the individual carer stories which illustrate the range of imaginative ways that carers used the flexibility offered by TtL grants to achieve the breaks they wanted, and in doing so achieved positive, lasting outcomes.
We hope this research provides further evidence to support the case for all carers to have the preventative breaks they need to be able to balance caring with other things that are important in their lives.
Our sincere thanks to Andreea Bocioaga and Ellen Daly at Iriss, and to all the carers and carers centre staff who contributed to this research. Our thanks also to the Scottish Government for their continued support of Time to Live.
