What is respite?

A Regional Center may fund in-home respite services for the purpose of providing parents with relief from the ongoing care and supervision of their child with developmental disabilities. The number of respite hours provided is based largely on the extent of the child’s care needs as well as extenuating family circumstances. Additional respite hours may be available on an emergency basis, e.g., due to a family health emergency or for parents to attend trainings or conferences related to the child’s disability. Many Regional Centers use an assessment tool to calculate how many hours of respite a family should receive.

For more information about respite support, see our article Respite and Specialized Supervision 101.