Southwark · South-east London
Respite Care in Southwark for Family Carers
Cover at home for an afternoon, a weekend or a fortnight, so the person who does the caring in Peckham, Bermondsey or Dulwich can rest, go to hospital or get away.
Yes, we provide respite care in Southwark. A carer can come in for set hours so you can go out, or move in for a few days or weeks while you rest or go away, and some adults can have a short stay at one of our supported living homes. Southwark is next door to our Lewisham office, so visiting cover is realistic across the borough, depending on which carers we have free; a free home assessment comes first.
Can I get a break paid for by Southwark Council?
Possibly. The council's own guidance says that where the carer or the person cared for is assessed as eligible under the Care Act, support can include day services, overnight respite, or a personal budget or direct payment to arrange a break yourself. There are two assessments that can lead there: the cared-for person's needs assessment and your own carer's assessment.
Care for the person you look after is means-tested; the council's contribution calculator gives a rough guide. If a break is agreed as a direct payment, it can be used to pay a private agency, including us. You can also book respite with us privately while an assessment is still going on.
Asking for a carer's assessment in Southwark
A carer's assessment is free and is about you: your health, your sleep, your work and what would help you keep going. You do not need to live with the person or care full-time to have one. Which door you use depends on who you look after:
- An older person, or an adult with dementia or a physical disability: the council's online carer's assessment form, or the Older People and Physical Disabilities (OPPD) team on 020 7525 3324, Monday to Friday.
- An adult with mental health needs: the Southwark Wellbeing Hub, run by South East London Mind, on 0800 368 8433.
- An adult with a learning disability: the Southwark Disability Hub, run by KeyRing, on 020 3457 7580, or the learning disabilities duty line on 020 7525 2333 if they already have a social worker.
Ask for a regular break to be written into the support plan: a named day each week is easier to protect than "respite when needed".
Who else is in a Southwark carer's corner
The council points carers to Southwark Carers, the borough's carers' centre, for advice and support, and to Mobilise for online carer support. Ageing Well Southwark (020 7358 4069) has a directory of older people's activities and groups that you can search by area, including Bermondsey, Camberwell, Dulwich, Peckham, Rotherhithe and Walworth, and it is often the quickest way to find a regular club that gives you a few hours back each week.
If the person you care for has recently been diagnosed with dementia, the Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Support Southwark service (020 7725 5850) supports carers in person and by phone.
A day at Stones End, and cover for the rest of the week
Age UK Lewisham and Southwark runs the Stones End Day Centre on Scovell Road in Borough for older Southwark residents, including people living with dementia, with door-to-door transport. Southwark Pensioners Centre on Camberwell Road runs over-50s activities. A day centre covers part of the week; we can cover another, with a carer at home on the days you work, see friends or sleep.
Breaks at home: a few hours or a few weeks
- Sitting and visiting cover. A carer comes in for agreed hours to keep the person company, help with meals and personal care, and make sure they are safe. See our sit-in service. Nunhead, Peckham and East Dulwich are the nearest parts of Southwark to our office; the north of the borough is a short train ride to London Bridge.
- A short live-in stay. For a holiday, a family wedding or a planned operation, a carer can move in for days or weeks and follow the usual routine. It needs a spare bedroom. Book early; the more notice we have, the better our chance of the right match.
When it is the carer who suddenly goes into hospital
This is the situation carers worry about most. Southwark's adult social care teams work office hours, Monday to Friday, and the council does not list an out-of-hours social care number; in an emergency, call 999. If you need urgent support within the next 48 hours during the week, the OPPD line is 020 7525 3324. Call us too: we will tell you honestly whether we can staff it, so that if we cannot, you can try elsewhere without losing time.
The best protection is a written plan now: medication, routines, keys, who to ring. If we already know the person, stepping in is far easier.
A break for you, away from home. Southwark Council's short breaks page mentions Carefree, a charity offering one- and two-night hotel breaks for unpaid carers aged 18 and over who care for 30 or more hours a week (Carefree charges a small admin fee). Pair it with respite at home while you are away.
Short stays at our homes in Kingston, Whitton and Uxbridge
For some adults, especially younger adults with a learning disability, a few nights somewhere new is a break for the whole household. Our supported living homes take respite stays, but none is in Southwark. Kingston is the nearest, about 50 to 70 minutes by public transport: the Overground from Peckham Rye, Queens Road Peckham or Denmark Hill to Clapham Junction, then South Western Railway. Whitton is a similar journey; Uxbridge is further. If the council funds the person's support, talk to their social worker or the Disability Hub before booking. Closer to home, Ategi runs Southwark's Shared Lives scheme, where a short break can be with an approved carer family.
What we can help with in Southwark
- Regular visits so you can rest
- Live-in cover while you are away
- Planned breaks booked ahead
- Cover if the main carer is unwell
- Dementia-aware respite
- Short stays in our supported living homes
- Help with the carers' assessment route
- A care plan the family agrees
Areas of Southwark we cover
Care across the borough, including these neighbourhoods. Each has its own page with local detail.
Our services
How we can help in Southwark
From a few visits a week to a carer who lives in, choose the support that fits.
Southwark FAQs
Southwark carers ask
Questions families ask us about Southwark. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Ask a questionI drive over from Kent to look after Mum in Camberwell. Can I park outside her flat?
If her street is in a controlled parking zone, ask Southwark about its resident informal carer permit, which is for a family member or friend who cares unpaid and needs a letter from her GP. It covers on-street CPZs only. If she lives on a council estate, the estate has its own separate carer permit scheme, so ask the estate office.
My husband has dementia and goes to Stones End twice a week. Can you cover a weekend so I can see my sister?
We can look at it, and notice helps. Tell us his routine at the assessment so the weekend carer keeps things the same. If you are away overnight, a short live-in stay is usually simplest.
Dad has just come home from King's with the reablement team. Can I book a break for when they finish?
Yes, and it is a good moment to plan it. Reablement is short-term. Ask the team how he is likely to manage afterwards, then call us so cover starts when they stop, not a week later.
I care for my son, who is 22 and autistic. Who do I talk to in Southwark about breaks?
Start with the Southwark Disability Hub on 020 3457 7580, which handles adults with learning disabilities and young disabled adults aged 18 to 25. You are also entitled to your own carer's assessment. If a short stay at one of our homes might suit him, we can talk it through with you and his social worker.
Does a carer's assessment cost anything?
No. The carer's assessment itself is free. Any services arranged for the person you look after are means-tested separately, and our guide to paying for care in London explains how that works.
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Looking for care in Southwark?
Tell us what is happening and we will tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.