Support

 

Support Available for Caboolture Family Network

Types of family respite and support

· In home support – this can include providing support in the home allowing time for the family and/or carers to attend to other responsibilities.

· Out of home support – this can include assistance with recreation or leisure activities and community access. We would strive for these experiences to provide opportunities that allow friendships to develop and grow.

· Host family support – when a person with a disability stays in another family home overnight or weekends or during school holidays. The person with a disability will be welcomed into the host family home, included in the day-to-day activities of the home, like picnics, shopping, swimming, or whatever is the usual plan of the day or weekend.

· Family support – assisting the family and/or carer to continue to be a family by working through the maze of paperwork and supplying information and support i.e. offering planning tools, assisting to set up circles of support and other information sharing gatherings. Advocating for the person with a disability, navigating the funding service world, assisting and strengthening the informal network of the family and/or carer and the person with a disability. Empowering families and/or carers by asking what they need and helping them find their voice. Allowing families and/or carers the opportunity to be re-energised i.e. pampering days, family BBQ's and dinners and linking families and/or carers with other families and/or carers and support networks.

· Overnight stays – i.e. camps, holidays or using the Caboolture Family Network's retreat.

· Vacation Care, or

· Funding arrangements – this means eligible families and/or carers can receive financial assistance to purchase support that makes it easier for families and/or carers to provide care.

These options indicate that Caboolture Family Network offers highly flexible support that will allow the person with a disability, their family and/or carer to design their own support, if they choose.

Each family and/or carer will take part in a support plan review process every six months where they will have the opportunity to discuss their current situation and plan the support that best addresses their needs for the next period of time. This is an extremely flexible approach. Informal reviews are welcomed at any point the family feels that changes need to be made to their support arrangements. This allows each person with a disability, their family and/or carer's support plan to look quite different from those of any other family. It is a very family-centred approach as opposed to a service-centred approach.

For example, a support plan for a family and/or carer in which there is a child who has a disability may look like this:

· 2 weekends of Host Family support per year

· 1 week of support from a Lifestyle Support Worker to accompany family and/or carer on annual holiday

· Support for all the children four hours one night per month so the parents and carers can have time out together

Another example is a family and/or carer in which there is an older person with a disability. The support plan may include:

· 1 week (Mon – Fri) at Caboolture Family Network's retreat per year

· 5 weekends at Caboolture Family Network's retreat per year

· 3 hours of support on one Saturday per month (this time need not be weekends) to pursue interests and involvements

Caboolture Family Network's whole approach is to be responsive and flexible.