Respite Care Program In Delta BC
What Is The Respite Care Program?
Our Respite care program is based on the premise that families know their children best. To ensure that child and family preferences have been taken into consideration, we have recruited a group of caregivers who reflect the diversity of the families we serve. Families must reside in Delta to access respite services and the program is for children birth to age 19.
Referrals to respite must come through a CYSN social worker.
Respite care gives families temporary relief from the challenges of caring for a child with a developmental disability. Whether this relief is for a few hours, a day, a weekend or longer depends on the families needs.
Respite care aims to strengthen the family unit. The program allows families to rest, take a vacation, tend to life’s necessities, or deal with stressful situations such as illness, death or moving.
Respite care is not a luxury: it is essential for a family’s well-being. It can prevent parents from becoming so stressed and fatigued that they can no longer cope with the special needs of their child or respond to the needs of other family members.
Why Respite?:
To support children with special needs and their families.
To enable families to have options and choices when making decisions for their children.
To promote awareness and acceptance of children with special needs and their families within the community.
To encourage open and equal access to all community resources and services.
This comprehensive approach provides complementary learning opportunities and focuses on the development and functional use of age appropriate skills for each child.
Benefits to the Child with Special Needs
Respite care gives children with special needs an opportunity to participate in a wider range of experiences that are essential for development, such as:
- On-going relationships and social interaction outside the family unit.
- Contact with other children who model age-appropriate behaviours, in circumstances where the caregiver has children.
- Growing independence through new learning experiences.
- Inclusion in community activities.
Group Respite Program:
Group Respite is an excellent option for families who would like their child’s respite to take place in a group environment. We currently offer two groups (one for ages 5-11 and the other for ages 12-18) which serve up to eighteen children/youth at one time.
The Reach Group Respite program gives parents of children with developmental disabilities some much needed respite, while providing children with all the benefits of a positive group dynamic. The program encourages children’s social skills, facilitates friendships, promotes positive self-esteem and community awareness, while decreasing the possibility of isolation. In Group Respite children can enjoy sports, games, crafts, baking, field trips and other fun activities together.
When does the program run?
Group Respite runs on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This gives each family a total of 11 hours of respite per month. The program is staffed with a program coordinator and 6 well-trained and experienced caregivers.
Eligibility:
Respite
REACH is committed to provide accessible services. To ensure fair access to our Respite Program we have outlined our entry, transition and exit criteria for you below.
Entry criteria:
Children need to be referred directly by their MCFD Social Worker to this program with the verbal or written permission of the legal guardian.
Children must:
• be between the ages of birth and 18 years
- reside in the Delta
Transition criteria:
Children who move out of the service area will be transitioned to a program in their new community by their social worker.
Exit criteria:
A child will be discharged:
• at the end of the month of their 18th birthday
• when the family no longer requires the service
Group Respite
REACH is committed to provide accessible services. To ensure fair access to our Group Respite Program we have outlined our entry, transition and exit criteria for you below.
Entry criteria:
Children need to be referred directly by their MCFD Social Worker to this program with the verbal or written permission of the legal guardian. Children must:
• be between the ages of 5 and 18
- reside in the Delta
- The child must also be able to manage themselves safely and independently within a group of 3 children with 1 caregiver.
- The child does not exhibit aggressive behaviours, physical, and/or verbal, to the extent to which it threatens the safety or security of the other participants or staff.
- The child’s behaviour is at a manageable level where he/she does not require one to one attention (e.g. does not bolt / run away or display destructive behaviour).
- The child is able to toilet themselves independently, without physical assistance.
- The child does not have issues with mobility that would require one to one assistance.
Transition criteria:
Children who move out of the service area will be transitioned to a program in their new community by their social worker. If the child is unable to manage in a group, there may need to be a transition to individual or direct funded respite services.
Exit criteria:
A child will be discharged:
• at the end of the month of their 19th birthday
• when the family no longer requires the service
Respite Care Program
To access the respite or group respite program families must have a referral from their Ministry for Child and Family Development social worker. For more information contact Respite Care Program Coordinator Melanie Reid or Group Respite Coordinator Tassia Pickard.
Contact Respite Care Program Coordinator
N: Melanie Reid
P: (604) 946-6622, ext. 305
E: [email protected]
Contact Group Respite Coordinator
N: Tassia Pickard
P: (604) 946-6622 ext. 310
E: [email protected]
“Restoring Balance” by Melanie Reid, Manager of the Reach Respite care program
It’s summertime and the kids are out of school. But even though summer provides an array of opportunities for family bonding, it can be demanding on a parent’s time and energy and produce added tension and fatigue. When this happens, family time together can turn from joyful to stressful and end with everyone feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope.
Taking time for yourself as a parent is a valuable way to recharge physical and emotional energy.
For families who have children with special needs, having a break is especially important and essential to family well-being.