NEW RESPITE CARE TRAINING PROGRAM
IN CARROLL COUNTY

Respite Connection of Carroll County Offers Respite Care Training
Information: respiteconnection@caringcommunities.org or 410-549-5707

The Carroll County Local Management Board (LMB) determined that
respite care for children with disabilities and mental health challenges is
a priority area. Several county organizations and agencies developed a
collaborative approach -- Respite Connection of Carroll County -- to
address the respite dilemma for families to have more providers,
trainers and a linkage to the community.

The goal of Respite Connection is to increase the number of trained
individuals to provide respite to families with children (birth-25) with
mental health disabilities and/or developmental disabilities in Carroll
County and to promote their awareness of and access to the new
centralized list/registry of respite providers -- The Caring Network
Respite Care Registry offered by Caring Communities.

Two eighteen-hour Respite Caregiver, and two Train the Trainer, training
sessions will be offered in Carroll County in May and June 2008 at no
cost to individuals. The sessions will consist of respite care training in
developmental disabilities, mental health issues, cultural competence,
and "restraint-free" deescalation techniques. In addition, 100 Carroll
County families will be registered on the Caring Network Respite Care
Registry at no fee on a first-come, first-serve basis, thus increasing their
access to respite providers.

Carroll County's Respite Connection is comprised of the agencies and
individuals listed here.

• Granite House, Lead Agency for Respite Connection:
  Laura Rhodes, Program Development Manager
  
• Caring Communities: Mona Freedman RN, Executive Director
  
• FOCAS (Families of Children with Autism Support Group):
  Sharon Glass, Founder
  
• Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health:
  Lynne Humphries-Russ, Administrator
  
• CHANGE, Inc.: Heather Powell, Director of Support Services
  
• Get Connected Family Resource Center:
  Karen Koenigsberg, Family Navigator
  
• Vicki Duerr, a family member of a young adult with a disability
  

Provided by The Carroll County Respite Connection.
Funding provided by the Carroll County Local Management Board