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More than 3,500 adult carers and young carers from across Scotland are set to benefit from a funding package for short breaks.

Fifty-eight organisations have been offered a share of almost £954,000 for a variety of short breaks projects. This includes 14 groups who help carers purchase their own breaks.

The funding will support young carers and adult carers who care for disabled children, people with dementia, mental health problems and other long-term conditions, substance misuse problems, adults with learning disabilities and adults with physical disabilities.

All projects will be run by voluntary sector organisations, including:

• Young Carers Homework Club, Perth and Kinross Association for Voluntary Services. This service aims to reduce the number of young carers becoming isolated and disadvantaged.
• Leuchie House Short Breaks Centre, Day Respite, East Lothian. Leuchie provides personal and specialised care for those with complex care needs - and provides carers with practical, emotional and positive support on an ongoing basis.
• Carers Befriending Project, Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre, Dundee. This service seeks to help reduce isolation, increase confidence and social networks of Muslim/BME female carers.
• The Haven Caring Counselling Communication Centre, North & South Lanarkshire. This service aims to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of carers responsible for a loved one with a terminal illness by delivering flexible, regular, tailored respite support breaks at home.

Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson said:

"I fully recognise the enormous contribution of Scotland's unpaid adult carers and young carers.

"The provision of short breaks is hugely important to carers and young carers, giving them a much needed break from the stressful demands of supporting people close to them who are ill or disabled. Moreover, short breaks allow young carers time to enjoy being like any other child or young person.

"I'm delighted that this £954,000 is supporting a wide range of short breaks. This demonstrates the importance of flexible, personalised short breaks responding to a real need across the country."

Raymond Jamieson, Young Carers Project Co-ordinator, Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS) Ltd, said:

"PKAVS supports respite for young carers in a number of different ways, through weekly groups or activities during the school holidays, or simply offering support through one-to-one time.

"We are delighted to receive funding of over £12,000 from the Short Breaks Fund. This grant will enable us to start up the homework club. This club will give the children a safe, quiet environment to do their homework. It will also provide them with an opportunity to socialise with their peers outwith the caring responsibilities they face at home."

Mairi O'Keefe, Chief Executive of Leuchie House, said:

"Leuchie provides, in the unique setting of a mansion house with woodland, personal and specialised care for those with complex care needs - and supports carers on an ongoing basis. The funding of over £28,000 from the Short Breaks Fund will allow us to establish a Day Respite Service for the 1,200+ people in East Lothian who are in a complex care condition at home. This will encourage and enable both them and their families to maintain a manageable quality and standard of life."

Smina Akhtar, Director, Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre, said:

"We are very pleased at being awarded a grant of over £28,000. Our Befriending project in Dundee identified that there was a significant number of carers from black and minority ethnic communities, particularly women who were experiencing isolation themselves and therefore in need to support. This funding will enable us to provide a range of quality short breaks for BME carers which they were previously unable to access."

Janice Williams, Manager, The Haven Centre, said:

"The Haven provides emotional and practical support for families and their carers who are affected by life limiting illness. Haven @ Home is an exciting new innovation providing support at a critical time when carers are most vulnerable and unable to access traditional respite breaks due to the full time demands of their caring role. With this funding of over £17, 000 we will provide a service to families and carers in their own home providing regular flexible, planned breaks at home for the carer and their loved ones. The success of Haven @ Home has been validated by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from families and carers. We are delighted to have the support of the Short Breaks Fund to take this project to the next level and enable us to reach out to even more families across Lanarkshire."

As part of its Carers and Young Carers Strategy, published in July 2010, the Scottish Government provided £1 million to the third sector for short breaks. A further £1 million has been made available this year.

Through this second round of funding, organisations were invited to apply for grants of up to £50,000 in value. An independent Grants Allocations Panel set up by Shared Care Scotland decided on the best applications for approval taking account of set criteria. The Scottish Government funds essential short breaks for both adult carers and young carers

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