1. Respite Care in Central West Region: An Overview

2. Goals for this afternoon… Review the basic ideas related to respite care Hear from two organizations in Central West Region offering respite care programs Think about the future of respite care in the region

3. What are the support needs of parents? A friendly ear Communication and advice Information Activities for the child Respite care

4. What is respite care? …child care offered for designated period of time to allow a caregiver to tend to other family members, alleviate a work, job, health, or housing crisis, or to take a break from the stress of caring for a seriously ill child National Respite Coalition, 1998

5. Models of respite care Can vary by… Location Facility-based (relief house) Home-based Lengths of service Short term Longer term (overnight, vacation) Type of need Planned Crisis

6. Funding for respite care Blended funding Private contributions Individual user fees Community-based networks A business-like approach

7. Why is respite care important? Improves family functioning Enhances coping Minimizes the need for out-of-home placements Reduces… Caregiver burnout and fatigue Parenting stress Isolation Parents anxiety and depression Risk for child welfare involvement

8. What are the benefits of respite care? Increased feelings of well-being Less depressed mood (Botuck & Winsberg, 1991) Greatest benefits experienced by parents with children younger than 14 years of age Particularly helpful when dealing with children with both physical and intellectual/emotional disabilities (Douma, Decker & Koots, 2006)

9. What are the barriers to using respite care? Lack of awareness of available respite services Difficulty obtaining respite care when needed Lengthy wait times Shortage of qualified staff to provide respite care Lack of funding for services

10. The state of the evidence… A small number of studies to learn from Most research is quantitative No research on the longer-term effects of respite care Very few evaluations of respite programs that could to be used to improve services

11. Examples of respite programs in Central West Region… KidsLINK Peel Childrens Centre

12. Next steps? What should happen in Central West Region to increase the awareness, availability, and accessibility of respite services?

13. What did you find… Surprising? Confusing? Exciting? Important for the work you do?

14. Questions? Dr. Purnima Sundar Research and Knowledge Exchange Consultant 613.737.7600 x3485 psundar@cheo.on.ca www.onthepoint.ca