Best Practices in Respite Services for Children

BEST PRACTICES IN RESPITE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN

Research Project

Background

Since the late 1960's, respite care services have become an essential component in the overall support services that families require in order to care for chronically ill or disabled children in the home. Today many specialized services are provided by the community which allows many children with complex medical conditions to be cared for at home. A 1995 report based on an analytical review conducted by Home Support Canada, one of the founding members of the Canadian Association for Community Care (CACC), emphasized that "respite care has been reported to reduce the burden in families raising a child with developmental disabilities at home by relieving familial stress; improving family functioning; improving parental attitudes towards their child; and reducing social isolation." In addition, this report identified recommendations from which future program initiatives of proposals could be developed. CACC has continued work in the area of child respite services by conducting a needs assessment followed by the development of the Best Practices in Respite Services for Children: A Guide for Families, Policy Makers and Program Developers. This project was funded by Health Canada, and included other partners such as the Canadian Paediatric Society, the Canadian Institute of Child Health, and the Canadian Public Health Association.

The primary purpose of the guide is to provide parents, service providers, and health care planners with concise, user-friendly approaches for understanding and implementing best practices in respite care services, set out as a series of principles in eight categories.

Trillium Foundation Funded Research

The Best Practices principles constitute the innovative and trend-setting model which will be the subject of a research project by the Trillium Foundation in Toronto. The purpose of the grant is to develop the model of respite care for children which is suited to community needs; to evaluate the model's effectiveness; and to leave the communities with operating programs for children and families that will serve as models for other regions of the country. Three research locations in Ontario have been identified (Sudbury/Timmins, Ottawa/Carleton, and Toronto), each having a study group and a control group. This research project will take place over a period of eighteen months, with Dr. Virginia Hayes, School of Nursing, University of Victoria, as Principal Investigator.

Proposed Funding Through the Medical Research Council of Canada

In conjunction with the Trillium funded research project, Dr. Hayes has submitted a proposal to the Medical Research Council of Canada for further research entitled Evaluation of the Redesign and Implementation of Best Practices for Respite Services Delivery for Children and Families. If approved, this research will expand the Trillium funded project to include sites in Halifax and Calgary, and will provide for a comprehensive evaluation of all sites over a five year period.

This document is an excerpt from Best Practices in Respite Services for Children, published by the Canadian Association for Community Care.

Posted by the Canadian Association for Community Care, July 1997.