Respite Care provides planned relief for families and guardians and the people with disabilities that they care for. Respite Workers provide the highest quality of respite care by caring out duties usually performed by the families in the day-to-day support of their loved ones with disabilities.

Service Responsibilities:

• To ensure timely and thorough communication with families regarding periods of respite
• To promote choice and decision making according to the needs and preferences of the individual and his/her family
• To develop and participate in interesting and stimulating activities that are care recipient focused (in keeping with individual family preferences that are both in-home and community based)
• To maintain a positive attitude with all participants and their families
• To demonstrate flexibility and creativity in providing respite support to families
• To follow all of the NWT Disabilities Council policies and procedures as outlined in the Policies and Standards Manual, training modules, and orientation sessions.
• To share with the Respite Coordinator, in a timely and thorough manner, any information affecting respite service
• To work collaboratively with all people who support respite recipients and their families. This could include, but is not limited to; Respite Coordinator, coworkers, and staff of the NWT Disabilities Council
• To complete the mandatory training modules and necessary updates as required by the NWT Disabilities Council (First Aid and CPR, Criminal Record Check, vehicle insurance, etc)
• To identify ways of meeting other professional or personal development needs in consultation with the Respite Coordinator
• Other duties as required

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintains accurate and complete Care Recipient files such as Activity and Hours Report, Incident Reports, etc
• Adheres to all policies and procedures as outlined in the Policies and Standards Manual and the Respite Worker Resource Manual
• Uses Best Practice Standards to protect the human rights of all Care Recipients (eg confidentiality, consent to release information)
• Participates in self-evaluation in reference to program goals and objectives

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrates sound decision making skills
• Current First Aid and CPR
• Non-judgmental attitude and commitment to full community participation for people with disabilities
• Ability to be flexible and creative
• Knowledge of supporting the needs of people with a variety of disabilities
• Common sense and the ability to make decisions in sometimes stressful situations that are based on the best interest of the Care Recipient