Volcare Carers Respite service enables fulltime Carers to have the opportunity to take some much-needed time to be away from their caring responsibilities. It is a funded, free service for Carers.

Volcare is a unique and flexible ‘in the home’ service which involves a trusting partnership being built up between a Carer, the Cared-For and one of our fulltime Volunteers.

Our Volunteers are recruited from overseas and are placed with us for one year at a time. They receive care training and full support throughout their time with us. The Volunteer is introduced to up to fifteen families for the year and they visit the home for six-hour sessions (we do not make shorter visits). This allows the Carer the opportunity to hand over their responsibility and to get away and meet up with other family or friends, take part in social activities or simply have a complete rest.

The Volunteers are further trained by the family they are on respite with, so that they understand and can competently carry out all care that particular individual requires.

The service is designed so that all parties get to know each other and have complete confidence before full responsibility is handed over to the Volunteer. Once an initial three six-hour sessions have been undertaken, with the Carer gradually leaving the home for increased periods of time, each family is in discussion with the Volcare Service Manager to ensure everyone is happy to proceed.

Each family is then able to request up to 21 six-hour sessions of respite within a year. Volcare cannot be used as an emergency service as we take time to build-up a relationship with each family.

The same Volunteer always goes into the home. We do not provide a ‘waking’ night service but we do offer overnight respites up to a maximum of six nights, seven days for families when the night routine of the cared for person is settled – emergencies notwithstanding.

Many families choose to have one or two daytime six-hour respites each month. Once they have had a ‘practise’ overnight stay, others have a one, two or three night stay and there are a few who choose to have a full seven day, six nights respite and use seven of their allotted 21 respites in one go, in order to finally get away for a long-awaited holiday.