About Us
Vision and mission
The ultimate aim of Respitality is to provide a short vital break for unpaid carers in Scotland when they need it most. This is achieved by connecting carers’ organisations with hospitality, tourism and leisure businesses who are willing to donate a break free of charge.
Respitality is a Scottish Government supported project which is delivered locally by approved Respitality Delivery Partners and coordinated nationally by Shared Care Scotland.
Why Respitality is needed
- Caring for someone else can be mentally and physically tiring
- Breaks from routine are vital for unpaid carers’ mental and physical health
- For a range of reasons, including financial pressures, carer concerns and limited time, it is often difficult for carers to take the time out to fully recharge, or to spend quality time on their own or with family and friends.
How it works in practice
Respitality operates as a ‘social franchise’: it brings together a network of stakeholders who deliver the programme at the local level. The stakeholders in the network can be presented in five categories:
- Shared Care Scotland, via its dedicated Respitality team, coordinates and promotes the project by soliciting donations from hospitality businesses, liaising with local carers support organisations and generating media coverage.
- The local carer organisations, also referred to as carer centres or Respitality delivery partners, administer and deliver the programme in their area. They communicate the Respitality short break offer and facilitate the booking and feedback process. Many carer organisations also source short breaks in their area under the Respitality banner: these complement the national offer sourced by the Respitality team. Carer centres each have their own approaches for communicating, facilitating and administrating breaks: this freedom for each carer centre to develop their own delivery system is a central aspect of the social franchise model.
- Donors of breaks from the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors donate breaks to the project, free of charge. Examples of donors include accommodation providers, cultural attractions, entertainment attractions, restaurants, and wellness facilities. The donors decide what, when and how often they would like to donate. Breaks can be short (e.g., coffee and cake) or long in duration (e.g., multiple night stays). They can be taken with or without the cared-for person.
- Ambassadors of Respitality have a background in the hospitality, tourism, and leisure sectors, and encourage donations from businesses in their networks.
- The unpaid carers in Scotland who make use of the Respitality breaks.
How do I get involved?
Carers can access Respitality if their local authority area delivers Respitality at a local level. Please go to our Carers Information page for more details.
Businesses are welcome to donate a break regardless of their location. Please go to our Business Information page for more details.
If you are an organisation who supports unpaid carers and would be interested in exploring the possibility of delivering Respitality in your local authority area, please go to our Information for Professionals page for more details.
For any other queries, please feel free to contact our team on 01383 622462 or email us
Current local Respitality projects
Respitality is currently operating in the below local authority areas. Please contact your local carers organisation to discuss how you can access a Respitality break:
- Aberdeen: Quarriers (Aberdeen)
- Aberdeenshire: Quarriers (Aberdeenshire)
- Angus: Angus Carers Centre
- Clackmannanshire: Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre
- Dumfries & Galloway: Dumfries & Galloway Carers Centre
- Dundee: Dundee Carers Centre
- East Ayrshire: East Ayrshire Carers Centre
- East Dunbartonshire: Carers Link East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire: East Renfrewshire Carers Centre
- Edinburgh: Care 4 Carers and Voices of Carers Across Lothians
- Falkirk: Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre
- Fife: Fife Voluntary Action
- Glasgow: Glasgow Carers Partnership
- Midlothian: Voices of Carers Across Lothians
- Moray: Quarriers (Moray)
- North Argyll: North Argyll Carers Centre
- North Lanarkshire: Lanarkshire Carers Centre
- Perthshire: PKAVS Carers Hub
- Renfrewshire: Renfrewshire Carers Centre
- Scottish Borders: Borders Carers Centre
- Scottish Highlands: Connecting Carers
- Shetland Islands: Voluntary Action Shetland
- South Lanarkshire: Lanarkshire Carers Centre
- Western Isles: Western Isles Community Care Forum
- West Lothian: Carers of West Lothian