What is respite care?

Respite care is the term used for services that enable you to take a break from caring by temporarily caring for the person you usually care for. It's important to take a break from caring if you need one – it doesn’t mean you’re letting down the person you look after, and could help you care for them better, for longer.

How does respite care work?

Respite care is the term used for services that enable you to take a break from caring. A respite care service is provided to the person you care for, to temporarily replace the care you would otherwise give them. 

Respite care can come in many forms. What works best will depend on your circumstances and those of the person you care for.

What types of respite care are there?

Some types of respite care include: 

Services at home

At-home respite care services involve someone caring for the person you care for in their home environment, whether that means sitting and talking with them, cooking for them, helping them get dressed or taking them on outings.

Day care centres

Day care centres offer social activities and outings for older people, and sometimes workshops and training. Most can arrange transport to and from the centre. Arrangements could be made for the person you care for to attend an activity group or day centre once a week, to give you a regular break from caring.

Residential care 

Care homes can provide short-term care for the person you look after. 

How do I arrange respite care?

In some areas, respite care is provided as a result of your carer’s assessment, while in others it’s provided through a needs assessment for the person you look after. If your assessment or the assessment for the person you care for shows you need respite care, the local council should provide it.

You might be able to get financial support from the council to help you take a break, but respite services are means-tested so you or the person you care for may have to contribute towards the cost.

Find out more about getting a carer’s assessment

Will a break from caring affect my benefits?

If you have time off from caring, there are special rules to decide whether you'll continue to receive Carer's Allowance. The basic rule is that you can continue to receive your Carer's Allowance for up to four weeks in any six-month period if you have a break from caring.

However, the rules are complicated, so you should get specialist advice from the Carer's Allowance Unit.

If you're receiving any other benefits which include extra amounts for caring, these may be affected if you have a break from caring.

Get in touch with the Carer's Allowance Unit for specialist help on the GOV.UK website