About this funding
The Time to Live programme provides 12 month grants to carers organisations (usually carers centres) to develop and deliver micro grants schemes for carers of adults (aged 21 years and over), and young carers (caring for children or adults). These Time to Live projects enable carers to access funds and support to help them take short breaks that meet their needs. This funding is provided by Scottish Government.
A total of £506,000 was made available for the 2019 round of the Time to Live Programme. Grants are for one year and were awarded to delivery partners in October 2019.
In June 2020, an additional £100,000 was made available, as part of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 response, to support more young carers to access breaks.
Information for carers
You can find out where to apply for a Time to Live grant in your local area, from the list below. Please contact these organisations directly to find out what funding is available for individual carers (including young carers) and how to apply.
- Aberdeen City: Aberdeen City Carers Support Service; Phone: 01224 914036
- Aberdeenshire: Aberdeenshire Carers Support Service; Phone: 01467 538 700
- Angus: Angus Carers Centre; Phone: 01241 439157
- Argyll & Bute: North Argyll Carers Centre; Phone: 01631 564 422
- Clackmannanshire: Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre; Phone: 01324 611 510
- Dumfries & Galloway: Carers Centre Project for Dumfries and Galloway Ltd; Phone: 01387 248600
- Dundee City: Dundee Carers Centre; Phone: 01382 200422
- East Ayrshire: East Ayrshire Carers Centre; Phone: 01563 571533
- East Dunbartonshire: Carers Link East Dunbartonshire; Phone: 0141 955 2131
- East Lothian: Carers of East Lothian; Phone: 0131 653 1056
- East Renfrewshire: East Renfrewshire Carers Centre; Phone: 0141 638 4888
- Edinburgh City: VOCAL Edinburgh Carers Hub; Phone: 0131 622 6666
- Eilean Siar: Western Isles Community Care Forum; Phone: 01859 502588
- Falkirk: Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre; Phone: 01324 611 510
- Fife: Fife Voluntary Action; Phone: 08456 006 046
- Glasgow City: Glasgow Association for Mental Health; Phone: 0141 552 5592
- Highland: Highland Community Care Forum; Phone: 01463 723573
- Inverclyde: Inverclyde Carers Centre; Phone: 01475 735180
- Midlothian: VOCAL Midlothian; Phone: 0131 663 6869
- Moray: Quarriers Carers Support Service Moray; Phone: 01343 556031
- North Ayrshire: Unity North Ayrshire Carers Centre; Phone: 01294 311333
- North Lanarkshire: South Lanarkshire Lanarkshire Carers Centre; Phone: 01698 428090
- Orkney Islands: Crossroads Care Orkney; Phone: 01856 870500
- Perth & Kinross: PKAVS Carers Centre; Phone: 01738 567076
- Renfrewshire: Renfrewshire Carers Centre; Phone: 0141 887 3643
- Scottish Borders: PRT Borders Carers Centre (SCIO); Phone: 01896 752431
- Shetland Islands: Voluntary Action Shetland; Phone: 01595 743 980
- South Ayrshire: Unity South Ayrshire Carers Centre; Phone: 01292 263000
- Stirling: Stirling Carers Centre; Phone: 01786 4470030
- West Dunbartonshire: Carers Of West Dunbartonshire; Phone: 0141 941 1550
- West Lothian: Carers of West Lothian; Phone: 01506 448000
For other funding options for short breaks, please visit our Funding Directory.
Delivery partners
Time to Live grants are awarded to one delivery partner in each local authority area in Scotland. This is usually the carers centre or another third sector organisation that supports unpaid carers in that area.
Shared Care Scotland invites the relevant agency in each local authority area to apply for Time to Live funding. As such, this is not an open competition for funding.
For more information, please contact the Short Breaks Fund manager, Alison Brown by calling the office on 01383 622462 or email office@sharedcarescotland.com.
Time to Live stories
We have collated examples on how people have used their Time to Live grant to get a small break on our Instagram page, and also as an album on our Facebook page. You can also see how one carer in Lanarkshire used his grant in this short film, Peter’s story.
Ten Years of Time to Live
Shared Care Scotland recently held an online event to bring together each of the delivery partners in all 32 local authority areas to have the opportunity to share learning and exchange ideas. The event also marked and celebrated 10 years of the Short Breaks Fund.
The programme for the event consisted of three sessions:
Where we started and where we are now, with a welcome video message from Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Public Health and Sport.
Building a Break during Covid-19, with presentations from East Ayrshire Carers Centre: “Creative Connections” Young Carer group engagement during lockdown – delivered by Fiona Pirrie and Fiona Robson – and Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre: Stay Home, Stay Safe micro grants – delivered by Claudine Brindle.
Masterclasses
- How to source other funding – delivered by Raymond Jamieson, Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service: How to use Time to Live funding to lever in additional funding support.
- Respitality – delivered by Kerry Donaghy, Shared Care Scotland: How to use Respitality to enhance a carer’s break
- Inspiring Breaks Toolkit – delivered by Kate Hogarth, Shared Care Scotland: Empowering carers to access the best break for them
Sketchnote
We were joined at the event by sketchnote artist Fran O’Hara, who produced a visual summary of the event as it progressed. This fantastic visual representation of the event, complete with links to more information is now available here.