Parents of children with developmental disabilities are expected to provide the same level of care for them as they would for a child without disabilities. However, when a child has special needs parents often face challenges beyond those they might encounter with a typical child.
In order to provide caregivers with the occasional relief they need to keep the child in the family home, RCOC may provide respite care when medical, physical or behavioral needs cannot be met by other family members or a regular babysitter.
Respite care is sometimes provided by an individual who is selected by the parents, but who has also met specific criteria. Sometimes care is provided through professional respite agencies – these agencies are staffed by nurses and others with medical training, as well as workers with special training that equips them to deal with children or adults with challenging behaviors.
For detailed information about RCOC’s policies for respite care, review RCOC’s Purchase of Service Guidelines. These Purchase of Service (POS) Guidelines have been adopted by the Board of Directors to ensure that RCOC exercises good stewardship of the tax dollars it spends on behalf of people with disabilities. RCOC follows these Guidelines when authorizing service requests for consumers and families.