11602 Respite Care Services
SCOPE:
This procedure applies to all employees of Tri-Counties Regional Center. Respite care services may be considered for the family of any individual of Tri-Counties Regional Center.
PROCEDURE:
Definition of Respite: Respite services means intermittent or regularly scheduled temporary care and/or supervision of a child or adult with a developmental disability whose needs exceed that of an individual of the same chronological age without developmental disabilities (W&I Code 4686.5 (1)).
In-Home Respite Services are provided in the family home.
Out-of-Home Respite Services are provided in licensed residential facilities. Section 4686.5 of the W&I Code specifies under which conditions a regional center may purchase respite services.
Enhanced Respite Services are designed for individuals who are at risk of losing their home placement and whose care giver has not been able to successfully use traditional respite. The services are to be provided by an approved vendor with program design for Enhanced Respite Services and direct staff shall be individuals with a B.A. in psychology, sociology, or a related human services degree and who is able to implement a behavior plan. These services shall be reviewed annually at minimum.
Respite and Early Start: Respite may be authorized for families of children served by the Early Start program for those families that need to attend a training program that focuses on their child’s developmental needs. Respite hours are time limited and are based on the course schedule.
Respite services are support services which typically include:
- Assisting the family members to enable an individual with developmental disabilities to stay at home;
- Providing appropriate care and supervision to protect that person’s safety in the absence of a family member(s);
- Relieving family members from the constantly demanding responsibility of providing care; and
- Attending to basic self-help needs and other activities that would ordinarily be performed by the family member.
After the completion of designated training, in-home respite may include a provision of incidental medical services (W&I Code 4686).
Assessment:
At the time of the Individual Program Plan (IPP) development, the service coordinator shall objectively complete the Family Respite Needs and Assessment Guideline to evaluate the individual’s current skill level and support need. To access the guide, click here (opens in a new tab). The guide and scoring sheet (opens in a new tab) are also located on the intranet and forms page. A reassessment of a family’s respite need should be conducted whenever significant changes occur in the individual’s skills or functioning level, family dynamics, or as alternative respite resources are identified. The expected maximum hours of respite is up to 30 hours per month.
Exceptions: Tri-Counties Regional Center recognizes that some individual needs are so unique that they may not be addressed within this procedure which may require an exception. Such requests for an exception to a service policy can be made through the planning team and exception process.
Respite is not intended to provide for all supervised care needs of the family; it is a supplement to the family’s responsibility for care. Respite is not child or adult daycare (W&I Code 4686.5 (4)). A regional center is prohibited from purchasing day care services to replace or supplant respite services.
Prior to requesting an exceptional level of respite services, all available generic services must be explored and in place.
Revision Date: 12/01/2025