The findings of a 1978 project of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council on the need for respite care services and the various models for delivery of respite care are reported. Methodology included review of respite care regulations in 12 states, site visits and a survey of Massachusetts programs, and a survey of 339 families with…

This report presents the findings of an examination of the costs, benefits, and characteristics of Sitter Services, a program in Scotland offering child care in the child's home to parents working atypical hours or respite care for families of children with developmental disabilities. The study also explored users' and providers' knowledge of the…

A report of a project that established systems of respite care and training of parents who have developmentally disabled members in their home is presented. Attention is directed to project objectives, activities, and outcomes and to the following specific components: collection and analysis of data on factors promoting utilization and…

This report examines respite care services that provide temporary relief to family members and other caretakers of children at risk of abuse or neglect including children who are mentally retarded, behaviorally disturbed, physically disabled, or chronically or terminally ill. In 1988 the 25 states surveyed funded 111 respite care programs as did…

Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate the practice-oriented model of service use (Yeatts, Crow, & Folts, 1992) relative to the more widely used behavioral model (Andersen, 1968) in its ability to explain the use of respite services by caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. Unlike the behavioral model, which focuses primarily on…

Two surveys, one qualitative and one quantitative, were conducted of the opinions and experiences of New York State parents of children with learning delays and disabilities regarding parental labor force participation, child care options, and preferences in state policies. A total of 141 parents responded to the quantitative survey and 210 to the…

Special Training for Exceptional People (STEP) is a private, nonprofit agency serving children with developmental disabilities (0-22 years) and their families in the south-central section of Montana, encompassing Billings and a Crow Indian Reservation. One of the services provided by STEP is specialized family care, to prevent placement out of…

We examined the service needs of foster families with children who have disabilities. Foster parents in a large Canadian city were asked "What services or supports would be helpful to you?" The responses to this question were edited for clarity and to eliminate redundancies, and sorted into piles of like statements by a group of 15…

Testimony was heard concerning unmet needs for child care and current child care policy. Appearing before the Committee were California government officials, agency administrators and directors, school district officials, psychologists, anthropologists, and other researcher/practitioners, doctors, lawyers, parents, and children. Testimony covered…