Behavioral Respite
This service is offered to families on a planned or emergency basis.
It is short-term direct care and supervision of a child in order to afford a caregiver time-limited temporary relief from the ongoing responsibility of care. Respite may be done in a variety of settings including the home and community on a daily or hourly basis. The purpose of this respite is to sustain a family. This service is available to children (up to age 18) diagnosed with a severe emotional disorder (SED). This services is also available for youth in Protective Services Custody whose placement may be at risk whether or not they have been diagnosed with SED/SMI.
Behavioral respite may include a range of activities to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of a child.
Services may be provided for a few hours during the day or for longer periods of time involving overnight stays. Eligible children can receive up to 30 days or 720 hours per year of behavioral respite. The service is funded by Medicaid.
Recruiting Respite Caregivers
Recruitment and training of caregivers is ongoing. High Desert recruits people who demonstrate sufficient time, energy, and commitment working with the children we serve. We appreciate and value diversity and are looking for individuals who can provide respite services in their home, the child’s home, or in the community.
Respite referrals originate from a variety of sources, such as biological families, adoptive families, schools, therapists, case managers, community agencies, etc. High Desert reviews all referrals to determine if a child is appropriate for the services we provide.
Contracting, Training, and Support Services
Before being approved, Respite Caregivers are interviewed and undergo comprehensive background and reference checks. The second phase of approval involves submission of an application and pre-service training followed by a homestudy. Once approved, High Desert begins the matching process in order to begin providing respite services.
There are twenty-four hour emergency services available to Respite Caregivers should problems arise after office hours. High Desert provides its Respite Caregivers with the necessary ongoing training and compensates for services rendered.
“HDFS has been open to thinking outside the box and letting me take the lead on what my teenagers need. They have offered suggestions when needed but have honored our family’s ideas in a way that is rarely found in the mental health services field. Without that respect, this would have been just another obligation provided to us instead of a critical part of our team.”
- Julie