PARENTS' VIEWS OF DIFFERENT RESPITE CARE SERVICES

This paper focuses on one part of a three-year study into respite care services to disabled children. Relevant literature in the field is first reviewed and the aims and methods of the research are outlined. The main findings from semi-structured interviews with 160 parents using different types of respite care—family based schemes, local authority residential homes and health authority provision, including hospitals—are reported and discussed. Certain differences emerged between the characteristics of children using different services, notably in terms of age, weight, and level of dependency. Uneven access to services was identified, with black and low income families apparently having limited choice. Significant variation was found in the perceptions of the various service users. Important features of family based schemes were the child-centred nature of the service, the good relationships generally enjoyed by parents and carers and the informality of arrangements. Some benefits were reported for children receiving respite care in residential homes but widespread difficulty in obtaining bookings and instances of poor physical care were significant drawbacks. Parents using health authority provision reported a range of dissatisfactions, mostly associated with the institutional nature of the service.