Better Breaks is a funding programme of the Short Breaks Fund, operated by Shared Care Scotland on behalf of the National Carers Organisations and the Scottish Government.

Better Breaks funds a wide range of short breaks projects and activities including holiday activity programmes, after school clubs, sports coaching, and youth groups. The activities can be for children and young people without their carers, with their sibling/young carer, or for whole families to enjoy together.

Funded activities A project is a planned set of activities with a clear purpose, defined outcomes and a budget. It should be a distinct, time-limited initiative which is not part of the organisation’s routine, day-to-day operations.

Short break projects can include breaks away, days out, and/or shorter, regular activities and sessions. The activities must be for the disabled children and young people with or without their carers. Young sibling carers can also enjoy or be included in activities with the disabled child or young person, or the activities can be for families to enjoy together.

Better Breaks has five guiding principles. These principles must be demonstrated in the planning and delivery of the project:

• Mutual benefit: all projects should make a positive difference to the lives of disabled children and young people (aged 20 and under) and their carers, improving their quality of life and well-being, and supporting the caring relationship.
• Personalisation: all projects should ensure that disabled children and young people (aged 20 and under) and their carers are actively engaged in planning and making decisions about their short breaks. Projects should always aim to deliver short breaks that are genuinely personalised, providing the right break at the right time.
• Targeted support: all projects should seek to make a difference to people who most need support. This may include children and young people (aged 20 and under) with multiple support needs and/or whose needs are not met by current models of service provision, carers who have a substantial caring role, carers who are less likely to access current support, or carers whose needs are not met by current models of service provision.
• Adding value: all projects should complement, and not replace or duplicate, the range of services which local authorities, the NHS and other agencies already fund or provide.
• Knowledge and understanding: all projects should be open to sharing learning and practice and helping to build a common evidence base that increases Shared Care Scotland’s understanding of short breaks and how they support the caring relationship.

Better Breaks seeks to achieve four key outcomes. The application must show how this project will contribute directly to the achievement of at least three of these outcomes:

• Disabled children and young people (aged 20 and under) will have more opportunities to have fun, develop friendships and do activities they enjoy
• Carers of disabled children and young people (aged 20 and under) will have more opportunities to enjoy a life outside of their caring role
• Carers of disabled children and young people (aged 20 and under) will feel better supported to sustain their caring role
• Disabled children and young people (aged 20 and under) and their carers will have improved well-being.

Who can apply

To be eligible to apply for a Better Breaks grant, organisations must:

• operate in Scotland
• be an OSCR registered charity OR a constituted organisation that has only charitable purpose(s) and that delivers public benefit
• hold all relevant registrations, policies and procedures required (e.g. PVG checks, safeguarding, Care Inspectorate registration etc.)
• have appropriate and effective governance and financial management arrangements
• have a bank account in the name of the organisation that requires at least two signatories for withdrawals or transactions
• support unpaid carers and/or the people they care for, or are partnering with an organisation that does
• have consulted with disabled children and young people and their unpaid carers when preparing this application
• pay staff the Real Living Wage £13.45 OR there are no paid staff within the organisation.

When to apply

Now open. Submit the application by 5pm on Wednesday 30 September.

Next deadline: 30 Sep 2026

How to apply

Applications are completed online please access the form via the website.