What respite means under the NDIS
Respite gives you time apart from your usual care arrangements. It can be a few hours of support so your family or carer can rest, or a short stay away from home with support included. Under the NDIS, short stays are usually funded as short-term accommodation, which the NDIA has also called short term respite. If your plan uses either name, it means the same support.
What it can look like
- support at home while the people who usually help you take a break
- a planned short stay with support, often around school holidays or a family event
- activities and outings during the stay, so it feels like time out rather than just a change of address
- skill-building, like trying new routines or meeting new people
Regular outings without a stay are usually arranged as community access.
How it is funded
Short-term accommodation comes from the Core supports budget. The NDIA's guideline sets limits on how many days can be funded at a time and across a year, and your plan sets what is available to you. Accommodation, support and activities during the stay are generally covered together, but personal spending money is not. We'll check your plan with you before anything is booked, so you know exactly what's included.
Planning a stay
Tell us when you'd like a break, how long for and what you enjoy, and we'll talk through current options. We'll ask about routines, communication, food preferences and anything a new worker needs to know, so the stay feels familiar. Every Psych Connect support worker holds an NDIS Worker Screening Check, a current First Aid and CPR certificate and has completed the NDIS “Quality, Safety and You” orientation. Workers who support children also hold a Blue Card.
Where we provide respite
We support participants across Ipswich and Springfield, Brisbane, Logan, Redlands and the Gold Coast. See the areas we cover, or call 0403 828 422 to check your suburb.
For families and carers
Carers often wait too long to ask for a break. If you're the person who usually provides support, you're welcome to call us first, and we'll talk through what might help and how to raise respite with the participant and their plan. The participant's wishes always come first, and we'll make sure they're part of the conversation.