In our respite program, we provide care in a safe home-like environment, giving parents a much needed break. While at the Home, children can benefit from a variety of therapeutic programming.
Respite Program Description
A typical weekend respite stay is 48 hours and during peak times we offer respite stays of up to one week. In addition to overnight care, we also offer Day Programs. During their stay, children will have an opportunity to receive care in a supervised, non-invasive and stimulating environment.
Scheduling Respite
The Darling Home for Kids provides respite services on weekends, including long weekends, as well as throughout the summer, Winter Break and March Break. Families are offered a minimum of one respite stay every 3 months.
Four times per year The Darling Home for Kids distributes a survey where families can indicate their respite preferences for a three month period. Preferences are ranked by families who indicate their first, second, third or fourth choice. A deadline for submission is provided and after all the respite request forms are received, our care team reviews availability and confirms the respite schedule. Families are notified of their confirmed respite dates as soon as possible to allow for adequate planning. It is our goal to assist families with meeting their respite care needs, and as such, we will endeavor to accommodate your selection requests when possible.
Should families not submit their respite requests, there will be limited options for available respite. We will try our best to accomodate children; however, families who are already scheduled will take priority. We always reserve a few spaces for new families to engage in respite when they are admitted into the program, after the formal respite selection process is complete.
If you have any questions about respite availability, please e-mail Reservations.
Respite Program Eligibility Requirements
- Children who are between the ages of 0-18 years.
- Children who qualify for enhanced respite funding (i.e. your child’s needs have been designated as medically fragile and/or technology dependent). For more information about this definition, please review the criteria outlined by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
- Children who live in the Peel/Halton/Waterloo/Wellington/Dufferin area.
Children are assessed by our Clinical Manager prior to admission into the program to ensure that your child’s care needs can be appropriately met. This assessment includes the level of staffing required to safely care for your child, equipment and facility needs, and care plan requirements.
Rates for Respite Care at The Darling Home for Kids
Overnight Stay $25/calendar day
Day Program $15/calendar day
Invoices are prepared after each respite stay. Many families make the decision to have their invoices sent directly to the organization who manages their funding (ErinoakKids, Halton Support Services, Extend-A-Family, etc.) and payment is issued directly to The Darling Home for Kids using their enhanced respite funding.
How to Apply
To apply to our Respite Program please visit our Admissions page. Each completed application form will be reviewed by our clinical team. Once your child’s application has been reviewed, you will be contacted by our Clinical Manager.