Respite is a very important part of the supports services provided by St. Michael’s House and we are currently seeking host families to expand our family-based respite programme.
Fidelma Kelly, Social Work Team Leader, St Michael’s House, explains: “Host families provide short periods of care in their home to children and adults who are being cared for full-time by their own families.This may involve having a child or adult visit your home for one evening a week or staying with you for a few nights a month. The aim of the scheme is to allow their families to recharge their batteries and to attend to things that they would find difficult to do while caring for their family member.”
Host families do not need any special qualifications as they are provided with training and ongoing support, as well as payment for their time. However, as part of a recent initiative under the Host Family Scheme, we are also aiming to secure respite families to care for children and adults with complex needs. Ideally these families would have experience in caring for people with disabilities, possibly having worked in the field as a carer or nurse. This scheme is more demanding and the training and payments reflect this.
There are already many host families providing respite who have had an extremely positive experience while taking part in the scheme. The Sheridans from North Dublin have been a host family with St. Michael’s House for two years. Niamh Sheridan explained that before she became involved with St. Michael’s House she had little or no contact with people with disabilities, and had spent 18 years working in an office. She left work to care for her terminally ill mother, and in doing so realised how tiring it can be to care for somebody full-time, and how important it is to get regular breaks. When her mother passed away she saw an advertisement for the St. Michael’s House Host Family Respite Programme and, together with her husband John, decided to apply to take part in the scheme instead of going back to work. Niamh commented: “Initially I was very nervous about the vetting procedure and training, but once we got into it I found the process very supportive. We We now regularly care for four children, and they have become a very important part of our family.”
For further information, or to apply to the Host Family Respite Programme, contact Fidelma Kelly, Social Work Team Leader St. Michael’s House at 8770550 or email fidelma.kelly@smh.ie.
