Office; (01202) 468598, or 551696 or 07837 759008 out of hours.

enquiries@respiteholidays.co.uk

Funding

 

Many of our clients fund the holiday themselves. Indeed, that is normal for most people in the community, to save up for and look forward to a holiday.

 

For some people though it is the need for respite, either for themselves or for their carers, that is important and there are good reasons why that respite should be in the form of a holiday.

 

Respite care is not cheap but there are a number of ways of funding respite care and you should investigate each.

 

Contact your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau as they may know of local funds to help in emergencies and hardship or for people with disabilities

Ask your social worker or CPN if local authority funding is available.

 

• Through your local authority
  If your care plan identifies a need for respite care and the local authority are willing to provide this, they should cover the cost of the care. However, there can be some restrictions to this. Some local authorities have arrangements with respite centres and will want you to go there. If you do not wish to go to the place they are offering you could ask if they would be willing to fund a place elsewhere and reasons why you want to go there.
• Direct payments
  Direct payments are a way of allowing a person with a disability to choose the person or place they want to receive care from. In this way, the person with mental illness will be given a sum of money by the local authorities to spend in the way they see fit, which could include a respite centre of your choice. Direct payments will only be given to people able to manage the money on their own and therefore the scheme is not always open to people with mental health problems in need of respite. If the local authorities have agreed to fund respite but you are having difficulties about your choice, consider advice from CAB, and advocate, your CPN or call us.
• Private trusts and funds
  If your local authority will not agree to provide you with respite care a number of trusts and funds put aside money each year for this reason. Many of them receive a large number of applications and consequently their funds may be exhausted early in the year. It will usually be necessary to apply to a number of trusts or funds, particularly as some of them will be unable to meet the full cost of the holiday.
• Rotary Clubs, Round Tables and Lion’s Associations, which are all known for their local generosity.