Advancing the recruitment, training and retention of respite care providers AKA the national respite care provider training and toolkit - the respite care association of wisconsin (rcaw), in…

The Respite Care Association of Wisconsin (RCAW) has been awarded a $1,250,000 cooperative agreement (90LRSP0002) from the Administration on Aging (AoA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the Lifespan Respite Care Program (CFDA 93.072). The project aims to strengthen and advance the National Respite Care Provider Training (NRCPT) program, with key objectives including:

1. Increasing nationwide uptake and use of the NRCPT in new and emerging respite service delivery areas.
2. Developing and testing approaches to connect trained respite providers with family caregivers across age and disability spectrums.
3. Implementing methods to improve retention of respite providers, including opportunities for career advancement.
4. Adapting the NRCPT for use among limited English-speaking populations.
5. Establishing a framework to assess the effectiveness of the NRCPT.

Expected outcomes include enhanced awareness and usage of the NRCPT, improved retention of respite providers, and streamlined access for caregivers to trained respite workers. The project will involve collaboration with partners such as the ARCH National Respite Network, the National Academy for State Health Policy, PHI, and Ujima Unlimited. Additionally, RCAW receives sub-awards from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to support family caregiver initiatives.

Advancing the recruitment, training and retention of respite care providers AKA the national respite care provider training and toolkit - the respite care association of wisconsin (rcaw), in partnership with the arch national respite network and resource center (arch), the national academy for state health policy (nashp), PHI, and ujima unlimited (AKA DR. KIM whitmore) will serve as the core project team to work collaboratively to strengthen and advance the recently developed national respite care provider training (nrcpt). Project goal: to strengthen and advance the nrcpt. Project objectives: 1.) support greater uptake and use of the nrcpt in new and emerging respite service delivery areas (e.g., states and local communities), nationwide; 2.) develop and test approaches for connecting trained providers to family caregivers and those they support, across the age and disability spectrum; 3.) develop, assess, and implement methods for retaining respite providers, including opportunities for career advancement and upward mobility; 4.) adapt the nrcpt for use among limited english-speaking populations, for whom career options are often limited; and 5.) develop a framework for establishing a base of evidence for the effectiveness of the nrcpt. Outcomes anticipated for this project which are 1.) enhanced awareness and usage of the nrcpt; 2.) improved retention of respite providers; 3.) streamlined access for caregivers to trained respite providers. Products: updated national matching services registry, a respite care worker retention toolkit for employers, updated nrcpt toolkit, greater awareness, and usage of the nrcpt, issue brief of learning collaborative's progress and policy actions to support family caregivers, key activity lessons learned. Other items include on-line publications, national newsletter articles, research brief,(s), case studies, webinars, presentations, meetings, and written evaluations on the majority of activities implemented and assessed.