The 2011 National Lifespan
Respite Conference
Setting the Stage
Respite services in Ontario.
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Many families who have children and adults with
disabilities have individualized funding known as
Special Services at Home or Passport. They develop
their own flexible respite supports with these funds.
Respite agencies assist them to recruit people to
provide the support.
There is also special funding to provide respite
support for children with autism, complex medical
needs and mental health challenges.
Supporting Families
There are also many agencies across Ontario that coordinate
respite supports to families.
These supports include:
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Center based respite (often weekend/over night)
In home respite (a few hours per week)
Out of home respite (associate/host family model)
Community based (e.g. supports in community recreation
programs)
Support also includes:
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assistance with recruitment,
screening and training of respite providers,
administration of funds and
coordination with other kinds of services that the family
may be receiving.
Respite Services
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Parents can arrange their own flexible support with the
funding that they receive
or
Parents can utilize services of agencies in arranging
respite.
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There are 9 regions within the province of Ontario and
each has designated funding for respite care for children.
Demand for service often exceeds the funding that is
available.
Communities of Practice
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An “Ideal Model” was created for Respite/Short
Break Care in some areas of Ontario that outlined
the blueprint for respite services.
The vision is to provide flexible, responsive, planned
respite support for families.
As this model was developed, two key components
were identified:
Best and Promising of Practice
 developing communities of practice so that agencies
could share best and promising practices with one
another.
Training
 developing training supports for respite providers so
that families could have the kind of support that
they need.
How the Training Partnership Evolved
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The South Western Region holds Communities of Practice
meetings to determine common issues, needs and ways to
share resources and share best/promising practices.
Training was identified as a priority for the respite
providers. While “in person” training continues, it was the
goal of the group to develop on line training so that there
would be a consistent message, ease of access and a well
developed training package.
Meanwhile the government had approached Safeguards
Training to see if it would produce classroom style respite
training.
The Training Partnership
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Family Respite Services Windsor Essex
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Safeguards Training for Children and Adult Services
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Funding from the Ontario Ministry of Children and
Youth Services
Family Respite Services
(Windsor Essex)
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Family Respite Services is an community agency
that provides support to families who have children
(0-18) with disabilities, including developmental,
physical, and mental health challenges.
Services are flexible. There is a range of services
including in home, center based and community
based options.
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FRS supports approximately 900 children in a
community.
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Windsor is located across the river from Detroit
Michigan.
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FRS has about 400 active respite providers.
The agency screens more than 100 respite providers
each year.
FRS was anxious to develop a training course that
would assist in the screening process, would
communicate key values and would provide a
consistent training process.
Safeguards Training
For Children and Adult Services
Safeguards is a non profit, training partnership of
5 provincial associations serving over 350 agencies and
20,000 staff.
Safeguards Partners:
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Association of Native Child and Family Services
Agencies of Ontario
Children’s Mental Health Ontario
Community Living Ontario
Ontchild/YPRO
Ontario Association of Residences Treating Youth
The service sectors involved include:
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Disability (Lifespan)
Respite
Children’s mental health
Native Child and Family Services/Child Welfare
Foster care, Treatment group homes
Young Offenders - Open Custody
Young Parent Resource Centres
Street Youth
Abuse/Trauma Treatment
Our Mission
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To enhance the capacity of services
through evidence-informed training
for staff serving children, youth,
families and adults.
Types of Training
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Live training
Online Learning
Webinars
Videoconference
Customized and In-service Training
Online Resource Portal
(Virtual Library of journals, data, books)
Trainers Bureau/Consulting
Considerations in developing Training
Model for the SW Region
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The Southwest Region of Ontario is a very diverse and
large area.
It includes rural areas, small towns, midsize and larger
size cities.
Agencies reported high drop-out rates and large
investment up-front in orientations and trainings.
Agencies identified that they wanted training that was
easy to access and was easy for them to administer.
Caregivers had differing schedules and it was hard to find
a common times for training.
Consistency
Agencies wanted training that:
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was consistent across the region
provided a basic level of training
provided an orientation to
candidates interested in being a caregiver.
Input from Families
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Families reported that it was important to
them to be able to contract with people
who have adequate training to care for
their son or daughter with a disability.
Potential Uses for the Training
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Screening of potential candidates.
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Orientation and training.
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Tool for parents who are screening their
own workers.
Emphasizing Values
Requiring people to take the course as a part
of screening allows the agencies to:
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provide orientation about a common
philosophy,
discuss the importance of inclusion,
review and train about the actual duties
and role of someone providing the support
Determine a potential caregivers
commitment.
Why Online Training for Respite?
Consistency
Each participant receives the same training.
Cost-effective
Reduces the number of orientation sessions and drop-out rates.
Cost-effective to create as a training tool.
Quality
Participants must pass course requirements to receive a certificate.
Reduced Waiting
Certificates emailed directly upon successful completion.
Affordable
The administrative fee is only $25
Anywhere/Anytime
Training is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Respite Services Training Certificate
Defining Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, Caregivers will be able to:
 Support a person in a “meaningful life”
 Define clear boundaries, expectations
 Have active listening skills
 Create a positive environment to handle situations
 Implement good health and safety practices
 Recognize signs of abuse and response procedures
 Properly bring closure to a respite relationship
Developing a Course Outline
Module
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Module
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The World of Respite Support: An Overview
People You Will Support
How to Support a Person in a Meaningful Life
Communication
Boundaries
Personal Care
Creating a Positive Environment
Confidentiality
Health and Safety
Abuse
Closure
Quiz and Summary
Course Features
Glossary and Resources
Addressing Learning Styles
Engaging Carers in Discussion
Interactive Pre and Post Activities
Encouraging on-going learning
The Respite Learning Portal
The Respite Learning Portal is now the gateway to:
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Online training
Webinars
Resources
Links to agencies
Articles
Polls
Network with others through Discussion Boards.
Over 3,500 people have now taken Respite courses
and webinars.
Respite Care for People with Autism
Course Outline:
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Module
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Your Roles as a Respite Worker
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder
Communication
Social Interaction and Play
The Unique World of ASD
Strategies for Positive and Enriching
Respite Care
Video Streaming
Quizzes with added learning value
Interactivity and Coaching
Respite Workers, Autism and Your
Child: A Parent's Guide
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Your Child's Unique Personality
Recruiting and Interviewing a Respite Care Provider
Orientation with Your Respite Provider
Keeping Things Safe
Training Your Worker to Communicate with Your
Child
Keeping the Relationship Going
Modifying Activities for Your Child
Helpful Resources
Summary
Increasing Retention
Templates and Tools
Guided Reflection
The French Language Portal
Next Steps
We see the respite portal as having the potential to
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have an ongoing discussion board for respite
providers
Provide written resources for respite providers and
families
Share stories that encourage people to consider
providing service
Be a central site to add additional courses and
webinars to enhance topic specific training.
Contact Information
Leslie Atkinson
Safeguards Training for Children and Adult Services
leslie@safeguards-training.net
www.safeguards-training.net
www.respitecourse.ca
Thanks!
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Have fun in Arizona