There are exciting opportunities to co-create and deliver short breaks for carers underpinned by a robust research evidence base. This poster presentation describes a UK-wide Research and Practice Development Group recently established to take forward research and practice on meaningful short breaks for carers, i.e. short breaks that promote interdependent caring relationships and benefit both carers and people with complex support needs. Its development follows discussions at the International Short Breaks Association Conference in Edinburgh 2016, which identified the need to establish an effective UK-wide approach to developing and coordinating research and sharing knowledge. Our presentation explores how the Group shall support the development of national and international research collaborations and opportunities for knowledge exchange.
Working across a range of academic disciplines and practice settings, the Group shall:
1. Build research capacity and support a culture of research excellence to address gaps in the evidence base relating to meaningful short breaks.
2. Facilitate knowledge exchange between academia, policy and practice in ways that encourage innovations in policy and practice development.
A strong evidence base is required to understand the role of meaningful short breaks in supporting inter-dependent caring relationships and carer resilience
