The determination of eligibility for services is based on the needs of the family, with special attention given to the needs of the child and primary caregiver. There is a minimum set of national standards for respite programs that support families who provide care for children with disabilities or chronic illnesses in the home. Policies are in place at the provincial and national levels to guide the delivery of all respite care services for children with long term health concerns. Respite care services have an ongoing, systematic evaluation plan that considers the context in which the program is placed, processes involved in meeting objectives of the program and actual program outcomes. Procedures describe the purpose, scope and responsibilities and provide details on how activities are performed.
Documented procedures are consistent with the relevant standards.
Ministries of health and social services, in collaboration with families of children with disabilities or chronic illnesses, review issues of user fees, income testing and additional care costs. Federal government reviews funding and tax measures for families of children with disabilities and chronic illnesses, especially the issue of family members who cannot work outside the home due to caregiving demands. A single government ministry or interministerial committee is responsible for the allocation of funding for all respite care services for families. One respite care budget is established for families of children with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Respite care services are included on the list of essential services to be considered.