Respite and short breaks

If you have care and support needs or you are a carer, there will be situations where you need short periods of time-limited support.

For carers, short breaks (often called respite) are vital to your own wellbeing and quality of life. The person you care for may need alternative support while you are on holiday or you are unable to provide care due to temporary illness.

For people with care and support needs, you may need additional support or a time-limited (short) stay in a care home, due to a temporary change in your health or circumstances.

Often short-term care and support can be provided by trusted family members or friends, but if this is not possible there are a number of different options available.

Short term support in the home and community

Some people may manage with additional support at home for a short period of time. Options might include paying a care agency to provide visits in the home or using local day services.

Many people arrange their own care and support. Information about care and support agencies in Warrington can be accessed here.

You may need to ask the Council to find and arrange services on your behalf. You can do this by contacting the Adult Social Care First Response team. The Council will complete an assessment of your needs and a financial assessment, which will establish how much you will need to pay towards the cost of your care and support

Short breaks in a care home

Many care homes in Warrington offer short, time-limited breaks (usually for up to 2 weeks at a time). In many cases you can arrange and fund this directly with a care home. Information about care homes in Warrington can be accessed here.

You may need to ask the Council to find and arrange a short break in a care home on your behalf. You can do this by contacting the Adult Social Care First Response team. The Council will complete an assessment of your needs and a financial assessment, which will establish how much you will need to pay towards the cost of your short break.

Short breaks in the community (Shared Lives)

Shared Lives is a flexible alternative to home care and care homes for disabled adults and older people. Shared Lives aims to enable people with a disability to experience ordinary life, with real relationships, rather than receive a service. In Shared Lives, a person who needs accommodation or support stays in the home of a volunteer carer. People who use Shared Lives are matched for compatibility and then develop relationships with their volunteer carer, who acts as ‘extended family’ so that the person can live at the heart of their community in a supportive setting.

Shared Lives support may be accessed if you are eligible for care and support services. To request an assessment please contact the Adult Social Care First Response Team.

Short breaks for children

If you are a disabled child or young person, you can access family-based short break care, which means you will stay with another family for short periods of time, at their house.  It might be every weekend, a week every now and again or a regular overnight visit once a fortnight.

Contact Warrington Borough Council's children's social care team on 01925 443400 for more information.

Could you be a short break carer for children?
If you:

  • Have the time, space (you will need a spare bedroom), enthusiasm and commitment in your life to help a child or young person with a disability
  • Can demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team which includes the child's parents, social workers, health and education partners
  • Are willing to develop your skills through regular training  

Then yes, you could!

It doesn't matter if you:

  • Are working, unemployed or retired
  • Are gay, straight, single, married, divorced or living with your partner
  • If you own your home or rent accommodation
  • Do / don't have your own children, as long as you have some childcare experience  

We want our foster carers to be as diverse as the children they look after, from all different walks of life, cultures and ages. Find out more at Warrington Fostering

Paying for respite and short breaks

If your services and support are arranged by the Council, you may be asked to contribute to all or some of the costs.

Find out how much you may have to pay
Our online calculator can help you to find out how much you may need to pay towards your care based on your income, savings and expenses.

I’m self funding
If you have savings of £23,350 you will be asked to pay the full cost of any services you use. This is known as being a ‘self-funder’. See the NHS guide to paying for your own care and support.

Can I get council funding?
Yes, but Warrington Borough Council's adult social services will need to carry out a social care assessment and a financial assessment.

We can then tell you how the council will work out what you need to pay, and how it will affect your income, savings and property.

If you have savings over £23,250, the council will not be able to contribute financially towards your care and you will need to pay for this yourself.