The belief was that the best place to care for a child with disabilities was in the child's own home and community. Respite is essential in the overall support services that families need in order to keep a child at home. Families Have a Right to Support Families have the right to receive support from the community in order to provide home care for their family member with disabilities. Respite is the most cost-effective way to preserve family unity. Families Know Best Respite services are family-driven.
Families have the knowledge and capability to design their own services.
Only they know the extent of their needs and the extent of their ability to participate in decision making. Families become partners with the policymakers and agency staff in the process of obtaining and using respite. The vast majority of families in Texas who have family members with disabilities choose to care for those individuals at home where they can receive the loving care and nurturance they need to develop to their fullest potential. Families who have made this choice live with high levels of emotional and financial stresses that are part of their daily routine. In order to survive over the long term, they must receive a wide array of support services such as respite care.