Freecall 1800 052 222
Wesley Mission welcomes you to the Inner West Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres, which provide a single point of access to community information and Carer emergency respite and short term respite services. Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre are located in all Home and Community Care (HACC) Regions in Australia. One number will link you to your closest centre. Please read below to find out more.
General Practitioners and Health Professionals
- Information Quicklists are an innovative way to access information for your patients
- G.P. Referral Form is an easy way to make referral to our centre
- About Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres
- Young Carers
- Mental Health Respite Program
- Accessing the Carer Respite Centre
- Community Services Information
- Further Information
About Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres
Information Support Services will help you navigate the great range of services providing in-home, centre based and travel support. A single phone call to freecall 1800 052 222 will link you to your local centre, and up to date information including costs, eligibility and which areas programs provide service to.
- 44 Liverpool Rd, Summer Hill NSW 2130. The hours are Monday to Friday 9am–5pm.
- Fax: (02) 9716 6863. Send your request via fax using our Enquiry Form (PDF format).
- Email: innerwest.carelink@wesleymission.org.au
- Web: http://www.commcarelink.health.gov.au/ . The online directory allows you to search for services at your convenience.
Carer Respite Service, freecall 1800 059 059, can help carers to arrange temporary relief of their caring responsibilities during an emergency.
Carers may be caring for older people or people with a disability who may be their parents or siblings, other family members, friends and neighbours. Respite gives the carer a break from their caring responsibilities especially in the following situations.
- Emergencies: 24 hours support. Call 1800 059 059. Inner West office direct (02) 9641 7081.
- Short Term Crisis Recovery Respite
- Young Carers: when caring interferes with primary or secondary education.
- Support to Ageing Carers: consideration for Carers over 65 years of age who care for a younger person (0-65) with a disability.
- Vacation Care: Extra support for parents caring for a child with a disability during the school holidays.
- Support with locating and arranging Residential Respite
- Supporting people who care for someone with a Mental Illness.
Inner West services the following Local Government Areas: Ashfield LGA, Canterbury LGA, Burwood LGA, Canada Bay LGA, Leichhardt LGA, Marrickville LGA, Strathfield LGA.
Address: 44 Liverpool Rd, Summer Hill NSW 2130
General Enquiries: 9641 7086
FAX: 9716 6863
Young Carers
Supporting Young Carers
The Commonwealth Carers Respite Centres can help support you in your caring role, while you study and complete your secondary education.
Identifying Young Carers Under 25 years old
Carers may be caring for older people or people with a disability who may be their parents or siblings, other family members, friends and neighbours. Respite gives the carer a break from their caring responsibilities especially in the following situations.
- When helping a family member who is sick or older and needs help with daily living activities.
- When a family member has a mental illness, drug and or alcohol addiction, and family responsibilities interfere with your schooling and or ability to study effectively.
Accessing respite services
We are able to support young carers, the primary support person, who may be at risk of failing to complete their education and who will benefit from respite or tuition support.
The program is able to support young carers at risk by providing an appropriate and flexible support service. This could include:
- tutoring,
- support at home such as domestic assistance,
- respite care for the young carers family member,
- referral to other relevant programs and
- identifying future needs for care planning where appropriate.
Note: To be eligible, the young carer, must be a primary or significant carer. The outcomes and type of support provided will depend on the individual needs of the young carer's caring situation. Care may be provided in the home, as an outing and or in a residential facility.
How to Contact your local centre.
Commonwealth Carelink and Carer Respite Centres are available Australia Wide. To contact your local centre, you may call the freecall number: 1800 059 059.
Mental Health Respite Program
Free call: 1800 059 059
Download our enquiry form (PDF format)
Definitions
Carer Respite provides alternative or supplementary care arrangements with primary purpose of giving the carer a short-term break from their usual caring role. This includes planned and unplanned (emergency) respite.
Respite services can be aimed at the carer or the care recipient. In either case, the carer’s need is the main focus.
Provides carer with quality alternative care for person for whom they are primary carer. It might be provided at home, in temporary accommodation or appropriate community setting. This may include:
- Support with household, shopping or transport for care recipient if this is part of normal caring responsibilities
- Community access or in- home support for care recipient
- Supporting care recipient to access services
Provides carer with assistance which relieves carer of tasks other than the caring role, this includes:
- Support with housework, shopping or transport for carer
- Support to access carer support and education programs
- Short-term time away from home for carer or care recipient
Sometimes more than one kind of service might be needed to address the need of carers and care recipients. This will be individually assessed.
Eligibility
- Carers (family members or friends, spouses) of people with mental illness, intellectual disability and autism, including those with a dual diagnosis
- Carer can be co-resident of live separate, but NOT for carers where care recipient lives in long-term supported accommodation
- Priority must be given to: ageing carers (over 65 and over 50 for indigenous carers), crisis support, carers 55 to 65 who live with care recipient
- (NB: it could be that there is no established diagnosis of mental illness (yet) or carer also cares for another person with undiagnosed mental illness. In this case it can be sufficient to have statement of health care worker that a mental illness is present.)
Accessing the Carer Respite Centre
Making a Referral — and what comes next
Can be made by:
- any agency, case worker, health staff etc
- self
Can be forwarded by:
- fax or email; CRCC intake and assessment form with information that is available
- call or fax CRCC and inform CRCC staff of carer in need with basic personal data and the request to contact carer
- inform carer of their options and encourage to contact CCRC
To be considered:
- When deciding whether a health professional should make the referral or the carer makes initial contact him/herself, it is to be considered to choose the option that makes it most likely that services will be utilised.
- It might be worth finding out if carer has more than one caring responsibility and make them aware that they can access respite for all disabilities and frail-aged care. Also see Young Carers Project
Follow-up
- CCRC undertakes a phone-based intake and assessment with the carer (at times also with the care recipient), to establish their individual needs. This usually takes between 20–30 min. If interpreter services are required, it will be arranged through TIS. In some situations a home assessment or in office of referring agency can be considered.
- Request for respite will be decided in the daily CCRC allocations meetings the following day, unless the request needs immediate attention. Decision is based on:
- Urgency
- Priorities as given by FACHSIA guidelines (as stated above)
- Current budget
- Care plan is developed and services arranged with service provider
- The care plan is written and mailed to carer, including details of services (commencement and finishing dates, service provider, content of services).
- If required details of care plan can be forwarded to referring agency.
- If services need to be changed, reviewed or extended, either the carer or referring agency needs to contact CRCC again.
Community Services Information
Information Quicklists
Need information fast? QuickLists will help you make a start in finding community services for people who live in the Inner West region of Sydney. They can be used as a resource in your practice or office, and will be valuable as information for patients and clients.
The contact details are refreshed each time you click on one of the links below. You can always print out an updated copy when you need it.
- Community Services List for Older People — CRCC Inner West (RTF format for all word processors)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Carer Services List
- Health Professional’s Guide to Services for Older People
- Community Services for People with Intellectual Autism and Aspergers
- Guide to Mental Health Services for Consumers
- Mental Health Services for Carers
- Physical Disability Services
Community Directories
These provide a list of services available for people living in the following local government areas. Ashfield, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Leichhardt, Marrickville and Strathfield.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Directory Inner West
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander directory is designed for Aboriginal service providers and workers to locate aged, disability and carer support services in the Inner West. The services listed in the directory are categorised support types and promote Aboriginal health and wellbeing, meet social, recreational and transport needs, help at home and services that provide respite when in need of break. -
Dementia Directory
A comprehensive list of dementia specific community services for people who live in the Inner West. This list was developed in partnership with the Inner West Dementia Advisory Service (SSWAHS).
Further Information
What's New?
Newtown Neighbourhood Centre has developed a new Service Provider Resource Kit to assist with supporting Carers from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background.
