FUNDING FOR RESPITE
Parents/Caregivers are able to allocate a certain number of days per year in their NDIS plan that can make use of our packages. Understanding funding for overnight care & support under the NDIS can be confusing. Both ongoing & temporary overnight support fall under the Assistance With Daily Life category of the NDIS Core Supports Budget. This category covers support for everyday personal activities that assist clients to live as independently as possible. While the term Respite is widely used, when it comes to supports that offer a break for regular care givers, the word Respite is not used for any NDIS funding category. This causes confusion among care providers & families of people with a disability who often ask about Respite care in an NDIS Plan meeting only to be told that Respite is not available under the NDIS.
Respite is available, but the NDIS describes it in different ways, specifically:
Short Term Accommodation & Assistance
Assistance with Self Care
Ongoing Overnight Assistance
If you or someone you care for requires ongoing assistance with personal daily living tasks including overnight support, the NDIS funding will come from the Assistance With Daily Life support category.
The amount of funding available depends on the persons living arrangements & needs:
Where more intense overnight support is required & the caregiver will not have the option to sleep, the NDIS will pay a maximum hourly rate depending on where you live. No quote is required.
Where overnight support is needed but the caregiver is able to sleep when not required to give support, a nightly rate applies which varies depending on your location. No quote is required.
Short Term Accommodation & Assistance may be required for a range of reasons such as:
The usual care giver will be away or requires a break.
The NDIS participant has a variable condition that occasionally requires additional overnight support.
Emergency care when the usual carer becomes unavailable at short notice.
The option for obtaining short term support overnight for our Respite service is:
Short term or emergency overnight care at your home comes under the Assistance with self-care category. The amount of funding available depends on the level of care required.
Obtaining support for overnight care in your NDIS Plan:
It is important that your NDIS Plan includes funding for both ongoing & short-term overnight care needs & takes into consideration any planned absences by regular caregivers. This needs to be discussed at your next NDIS Plan meeting. You need to record a complete picture of your home situation & the supports you receive & require. Be prepared by making arrangements for your family to have a break or maintaining the current overnight supports you receive. Recording these goals will help ensure you receive the NDIS funding you need for overnight support. In summary Short-term Accommodation (STA) replaces what was previously called Respite in your NDIS funding & provides a wonderful opportunity for people with a disability to have a break & for their families & carers to take a break. Whether it be for one night or a whole week. Taking a break from a carers role can help you restore your energy, reduce stress & keep your life in balance. Whether it is a few hours a week to run errands, or time to take a holiday, our friendly Disability Support Workers can provide help & support your needs to enjoy a well-earned break.