THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For parents of children with special needs, caregiving rarely stops. Even when they need to attend to an emergency, undergo medical treatment or travel, the question of who will care of their child can be difficult to answer. The social justice department is now seeking to address that gap through ‘Anbu Veedu’, a respite-care initiative for children and persons with special needs.
“While the initial plan was to provide temporary care through empanelled caregiving institutions, the government is now planning to introduce a personalised option in the form of respite care in family homes,” Social Justice Minister V E Abdul Gafoor told TNIE.
Children with autism, intellectual disabilities and neuro-developmental disorders, as well as those who are bedridden or require continuous specialised attention, are among those who could benefit from respite care. The service will be particularly useful for children whose condition makes travel difficult.
Under the proposed model, a child with a particular disability could be accommodated temporarily with a family that already has a child with the same or a similar disability. The idea is to create an environment that feels less institutional and more like home, while placing the child in the care of people who have first-hand experience in understanding and managing similar needs.
“Families who already care for a child with a particular disability are likely to understand the needs of another child with a similar condition better. A home environment can also make the transition easier for the child,” a senior official of the social justice department said.
The department is considering providing these families a daily allowance higher than the Rs 1,000 proposed for institutional care, to meet the additional expenses involved in providing respite care.
The first phase of ‘Anbu Veedu’ envisages empanelling at least one suitable caregiving institution in each of the state’s 152 community development blocks. These could include residential institutions run by NGOs as well as facilities operated by local bodies, provided they have the prescribed caregiving facilities.
The institutional component will provide care for periods ranging from seven days to one month. The larger objective is to give caregivers the breathing space to attend to emergencies, medical needs, work, travel or other personal commitments without having to worry about their child’s safety.
“The home-based model, however, is being approached with greater caution. Since it is a first-of-its-kind initiative involving children staying temporarily with families outside their own homes, the department is working on detailed guidelines covering safety, screening and child-protection measures,” the official said.
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