Overview
As a Local Authority (LA) partner, you can purchase break credits to fund the administration fee for unpaid carers in your district, ensuring that eligible carers can access a Carefree break at no cost to themselves. This article explains how credits are purchased, how eligibility is verified, and what information you will have access to.
Purchasing credits
Credits are available to purchase at £38 inc VAT per credit. There are two separate purchasing processes depending on how you wish to allocate credits:
Self-referred carers - for carers in your district who register with Carefree independently, without being referred by a Community Partner
Sponsored Community Partners (CPs) - for carers who are referred by a Community Partner organisation that your Local Authority sponsors
Each purchasing route uses a separate form and generates a distinct Purchase Order number, allowing your finance team to allocate costs accurately. Once payment is received, Carefree will apply the credits directly to the relevant account.
How eligibility is verified
For self-referred carers, Carefree verifies eligibility automatically by matching the carer's registered postcode against your Local Authority's district. You do not need to take any action for this step.
The carer will be notified that a credit is available to them and asked whether they consent to using it. If they agree, the £38 administration fee will be covered using one of your purchased credits.
What data will you receive?
In line with GDPR requirements, Local Authorities do not have access to individual carer profiles or live break data. Once a break has been confirmed and taken, you will be able to view a transaction log within your LA dashboard showing the following static information for each credit used:
Carer's name
Carer's postcode
Hotel where the break took place
Check-in date
Credit status (spent or returned)
No other personal data about the carer is shared. Carefree retains responsibility for all carer data in line with our privacy policy.
Managing your credits
Your LA dashboard gives you an overview of credits purchased and credits used. If you sponsor Community Partner organisations, you will also be able to view CP-level performance data, including number of referrals and social value generated, without accessing individual carer information.
Connecting a CP organisation to your LA account is handled by the Carefree team so please contact your account manager to request a new CP link.
Need help?
If you have questions about purchasing credits, eligibility, or data sharing, please contact your account manager Adriana at adriana@carefreespace.org