Short Breaks for Adults with a Learning Disability and/or Autism (West)

A short break (sometimes referred to as respite) is a short term, temporary service for people who are usually supported in their own or the family home by a family member or friend who is not paid for their caring tasks. The short break is beneficial to both individuals and carers as it enables the carer to have a break from their caring responsibilities and enables the individual to have a break without the carer. Short breaks complement the range of services currently available to adults with a learning disability and or autism and carers and forms part of the range of options available to meet an individual’s assessed needs. Short breaks can have a significant impact on an individual’s independence and choice by contributing to the care and support elements which maintain people in their own homes and enable carers to continue caring. The aim of a short break is to enable personalised and quality informal care and support arrangements to be sustained. A key element of the short break offer is to support an individual to gain the skills they will need for greater independence. The required short break offer is not simply a passive one of care and support, the expectation is that the Service Provider will build the service on a progression model and actively support independence.