Types of respite and family support

As a parent or caregiver of a child or youth with special needs, you may need extra support or a break from time to time. If eligible, we can help you by providing funding to purchase supports, including relief from the day-to-day care of your child.

Ontario funds two types of respite that can give families a break from caregiving:

  • out-of-home respite
  • in-home respite

Ontario also provides funding to help eligible families of children with disabilities purchase services and supports, including respite care:

  • Special Services at Home Program helps families taking care of a child with a developmental and/or physical disability. It provides families with funding to buy things and services that help parents with caring for their child - or that help the child join in activities at home and in the community.
  • The Enhanced Respite Program provides families of medically-fragile and/or technology-dependent children and youth with funding to purchase respite care.
  • Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program provides financial support for low-income to moderate-income families to help with the cost of caring for children with severe disabilities, including respite.

Effective July 1, 2022, additional funding was made available to families with children and youth who are receiving support from:

This additional funding supports the permanent wage enhancement for Personal Support Workers and Direct Support Workers.

In-home and out-of-home respite

There are agencies in your local community that can provide respite services in your home and outside of your home.

For more information about how to access in-home or out-of-home respite care in your local area, you can contact the ministry's regional office nearest to you.

Enhanced Respite for Medically Fragile and/or Technology Dependent Children Program

You can receive up to $4,130 per child for the 2023–24 fiscal year to spend on respite.

Your family may be eligible for this funding if you are caring for a child who is medically fragile and/or depends on a technological device and requires care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Eligibility

To be eligible, your child must:

  • be under 18 years of age
  • live at home
  • need intensive care and constant monitoring on a 24-hour basis
  • be medically fragile and/or technology dependent, meeting one of the following criteria:
    • relies on medical and technological equipment, such as mechanical ventilators, apnea monitors, renal dialysis, urinary catheters, colostomy bags
    • is administered drugs intravenously
    • relies on tracheotomy tube care, suctioning, oxygen support or tube feeding

Enhanced Respite for Medically Fragile and/or Technology Dependent Children will give eligible families back the cost of covered respite services or supports when you make a claim.

The services and supports covered are the same as those covered by the Special Services at Home program.

Special Services at Home Program

If you have a child with a physical and/or developmental disability, you might qualify for funding to buy respite or supports that help your child grow and develop.

Learn more about Special Services at Home.

Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program

Low-income to moderate-income families can apply for financial support to cover the extraordinary costs of caring for a child with a severe disability.

Learn more about Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities.

Apply for respite care

For more information, or to apply for Enhanced Respite, Special Services at Home, or Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities programs, you can contact the ministry's regional office nearest to you.