SPECIALISED SUBSTITUTE RESIDENTIAL CARE (SSRC)
You Connect is a registered Specialised Substitute Residential Care (SSRC) - formerly known as Voluntary Out of Home Care (VOOHC), organization with the NSW Government. It is committed to supporting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our care.
SSRC is an arrangement between a parent and an organization for their child, aged 7 to 17, to receive overnight care away from their usual home.
Our SSRC services are regulated by the Office of the Children’s Guardian. We ensure our standards meet the auditing of the service to ensure safety and wellbeing of our participants are maintained consistently and continuously.
NDIS participants can use their NDIS funding to support their choice of SSRC services.
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Emergency Short Term Accommodation (STA)
This is for participants needing temporary crisis accommodation.
The service includes
Cooking and meal preparation
Transport
Support to attend scheduled hobbies (fitness, etc)
Support to attend scheduled appointments (medical and other)
Support to get to and from school
Ensure continued connection with family
Ensure participant is working on achieving their NDIS goals
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Scheduled Short Term Accommodation (STA)
This is for participants whose parents require support overnight. This may be due to the parent(s) working night shift or it may be because a parent needs to go in for surgery. There are many ways to use this service. It is flexible and adaptable to each families needs. It can be a one off or it can be a regular booking.
Cooking and meal preparation
Transport
Support to attend scheduled hobbies (fitness, etc)
Support to attend scheduled appointments (medical and other)
Support to get to and from school
Ensure continued connection with family
Ensure participant is working on achieving their NDIS goals
Planned regular stays away from home can also help increase the participants independence as they transition to Support Independent Living and moving out of home.
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School Holiday Respite
This is for participants requiring school holiday respite
One-on-one short-term care where a participant is paired up with a support worker for a period of time that suits their particular needs. This can be spent in their home or out in the community participating in local activities including camps.
Group short-term options match the participants needs with other people who may have similar needs and interests and enjoy participating in a group respite activity.
Overnight or weekend facility-based support where the participants needs, and interests align with shared STA facilities.
FAQs
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VOOHC stands for Voluntary Out of Home Care. The purpose of VOOHC is to provide overnight care to a child or young person, with the consent of their family. VOOHC is regulated by the Office of the Children’s Guardian to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children and young people who use this type of service. Services may include:
- overnight or short-term accommodation in a group home, respite, hotel or Airbnb
- overnight stay with another family in a ‘host family’ arrangement
- longer term residential care
- camps that focus on respite or behaviour support
- bail assistance.
VOOHC may be provided as a one-off emergency placement, scheduled short term stays, or school holiday respite.
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Organisations that provide or arrange VOOHC must be registered with the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) before arranging or providing care. The OCG:
- regulates VOOHC agencies to ensure they comply with legislation
- monitors and assesses policies, procedures and practices of VOOHC agencies
- monitors the number of times a child or young person accesses VOOHC.
You Connect has been registered to provide VOOHC for children aged 7-12 years, and young people 13-17 years old. Our registration documents are available on our website.
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Yes, NDIS funding can be used to support a participant’s choice of VOOHC services.
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This is the really exciting part – it is completely flexible!
You may choose to have your child stay at one of our properties, to go on a getaway to another city staying at a hotel, attend a camp or stay with an approved “host” family. This could be 1:1 support, or shared support with other people who may have similar needs and interests. What will work best completely depends on what you would like to achieve. You Connect will work with you to ensure continued connection with family throughout the stay, and that your child is working on achieving their NDIS goals.
You Connect will consult with families and seek approval prior to placement, so you can feel comfortable with the arrangements that have been made, and that your child is in a safe environment.
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The cost of VOOHC will vary depending on the length of stay, what day of the week (e.g. weekdays, weekends or public holidays), and what type of service you would like. For example, a stay at one of our properties will cost less that a short getaway staying at a hotel.
VOOHC costs include cooking and meal preparation, transport, support to attend scheduled hobbies or appointments and support to get to and from school.
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Firstly, have a chat with your local Team Leader to see if VOOHC is suitable for you and your child. If you decide this is something you would like to access, let us know the type and duration of the service you would like (for example a week’s stay in one of our properties or a weekend staying in a hotel in Sydney), and we will provide you with a quote.
Once you approve the quote, the next step is to complete an application form. You Connect will have a chat with you to assess the application, and if the stay is in a group, to ensure your child is placed in VOOHC with peers of compatible age, developmental capacity and interests. Once a placement is confirmed, You Connect will send through a service agreement for you to sign.
