COURSE CONTENT
The National Respite Care Provider Training TM (NRCPT) is a series of free courses that are designed for individuals who are interested in providing respite care to individuals with varying disabilities and ages as a career, a part-time job, or even a volunteer activity. This training is designed as an entry-level training program. It is suitable for individuals who have never provided respite before, along with individuals who are currently respite providers.
Creating the National Respite Care Provider Training (NRCPT)
Before creating the curriculum for the NRCPT, an expert work group convened by ARCH created a set of Respite Care Professional Core Competencies for entry-level respite care providers. The core competencies were used to modify and enhance a training curriculum initially developed by the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin (RCAW). Each course in the curriculum addresses at least one of the core competencies.
The initial version (version 1) of the Respite Care Provider Training was piloted in ten states for one year through an online training platform. Modifications to the training were made based on feedback gathered from learners completing the training, as well as from the pilot site administrators (see Evaluation section for more details).
The NRCPT consists of ten base training courses (Course 101-110). Course 100 describes the training, its purpose, and an overview of the process, and provides an introduction to the training that allows potential learners to decide if this training is right for them. At the completion of the introduction course (Course 100), learners take a pre-survey and pre-test for information gathering. The pre-survey consists of demographic questions, respite experience questions, and competency-based confidence questions. The pre-test included scenario-based questions aligned with course objectives and core competencies. To learn more about the evaluation tools, please visit the evaluation page.
Each of the pilot sites added state-specific information about respite care laws, rules, regulations, and funding. Based on learner and pilot site feedback about the value of the content to learners, this information was incorporated into an optional Course 109.5. This state-specific/agency-specific course is not a requirement for the NRCPT and is not part of the ten training courses, though it is highly recommended for the implementation of the training curriculum based on evaluation findings.
At the completion of the NRCPT (10 core courses, plus optional course 109.5), learners take a post-test and a post-survey. In order to complete the training and receive a certificate of completion for seven hours of training, a score of 100% is required on the post-test. Learners review sections of the training and may retake the post-test until the passing score is achieved. The certificate of completion does not represent a respite certification and does not meet any Medicaid requirements or other regulatory, licensing, or credentialing standards issued by a private official accrediting organization or a government agency.
Based on evaluation feedback, this Replication Toolkit includes a Study Guide and Notes sheet (available in English and Spanish) to assist learners in highlighting important topics as they progress through the ten-course curriculum has been included in this Replication Toolkit under the Additional Course Documents page.
Implementing the National Respite Care Provider Training (NRCPT)
The NRPCT was piloted as an online training through a learning management system (LMS) in which learners could proceed at their own pace. This training could be offered through any LMS system or as a live in-person or virtual training.
There are a variety of ways to implement the NRCPT in your state or agency.
The training can be found at freetrainings.net. All 10-courses are available in English and Spanish. This training link can be used by any state, agency, or individual to access the NRCPT. Nothing additional needs to be done to have access to the full NRCPT.
Your state or agency can offer the training in its entirety to your learners through a learning management system or in-person. This toolkit provides all of the information needed to implement this approach.
Respite Care Association of Wisconsin (RCAW) provides an opportunity for partnership to use their online learning management system, while supporting you in the development of state/agency-specific courses, along with the management of the training and learners. To learn more about partnering with RCAW, please contact info@respitecarewi.org.
Please NOTE: If you MODIFY, ADAPT or REMOVE any part of the training (this includes only using some of the courses), it CANNOT be called the National Respite Care Provider Training and you may not use the associated logo.
If you proceed to use any part of the training (individual slides or any courses) or other materials from the toolkit, you must include the following language as ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
"This training and related information were adapted/modified from the National Respite Care Provider Training TM and Replication Toolkit developed by the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin in collaboration with National Academy for State Health Policy and the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. The Training content may no longer meet the Respite Care Professional Core Competency Standards established by a national expert workgroup."
In the dropdown sections below, there is information about creating a state/agency-specific course, using an online learning management system, conducting live training, and terms and conditions of use of this curriculum.
The NRCPT consists of ten core curriculum courses and an introductory Course 100. It is recommended that an eleventh course (Course 109.5) be added for state and agency-specific information. Each state has different laws, rules, regulations, and funding around respite care. Course 109.5 could be created specifically to address these issues. Information could be in a variety of formats: slides, images, documents, videos, links, and PDFs. This may vary depending on your specific training mode (LMS or live) and your agency (state or private).
Information to Consider Adding to Course 109.5
Overview of Respite in the state (unique models, self-directed, etc.?)
State funding sources for respite
Provider pay rates
Respite provider training, licensing or credentialing requirements
State regulations or restrictions for respite providers (restrictions on type of care that can be provided, such as medication management; assisting with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) or Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLS); definition of companion care; age and qualification requirements, etc.)
State child and adult abuse and neglect laws and information on how to report an incident
Next Steps – Now that the provider is trained, information on who do they contact and how do they connect with family caregivers needing respite (e.g., Information about a State Respite or Worker Registry, registration with Aging and Disability Resource Center or other No Wrong Door or long-term care system)
How to find respite jobs or employment opportunities
Respite Coalition/ Organization and how it can support the respite provider
Links to additional training opportunities
There are a variety of Learning Management Systems (LMS) available to house online training programs. When considering which LMS would work best for your program, take into consideration the cost, the ease of use for the learner, the ability for a learner to stop and start courses (go at their own pace), the ease of developing, modifying, and updating courses, ability to add videos, tests/ surveys, reporting functions, number of users, automation tools, and communication features between the instructor/agency and the learners.
Respite Care Association of Wisconsin (RCAW) offers the opportunity to partner with them for the use of their LMS for the NRCPT. This partnership includes the setup of the NRCPT in the LMS, support in developing the state-specific Course 109.5, and active learner seats to access the training. To learn more, contact RCAW at info@respitecarewi.org.
The NRCPT could be offered as live training (either in-person, virtual or as a series of webinars). This project did not pilot this as a live training, though the slides and training information could be presented in that way. Due to the length of the NRCPT, if the entire training were offered, it would be recommended that it be over a series of days. While the certificate of completion for the online training states seven hours, live training would allow for the incorporation of hands-on training and demonstrations, discussion, role-playing, questions, and conversations throughout, leading to a longer training time.
Anyone implementing the training or any aspect of the toolkit is NOT ABLE TO SELL OR CHARGE for any part of the toolkit contents. This toolkit was funded with federal dollars and is available free of charge.
To offer the training under the name of the National Respite Care Provider Training, all courses and all materials are required to be taught. If you MODIFY or remove any part of the training (this includes only using some of the courses), it CANNOT be called the National Respite Care Provider Training and you may not use the associated logo.
If you use any part of the training (individual slides or any courses) or other materials from the toolkit, you must include the following language as ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
"This training and related information were adapted/modified from the National Respite Care Provider Training TM and Replication Toolkit developed by the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin in collaboration with National Academy for State Health Policy and the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. The Training content may no longer meet the Respite Care Professional Core Competency Standards established by a national expert workgroup."
While learners receive a certificate of completion for successfully completing all of the courses in the curriculum, you may not refer to this training program as a certification or credentialing program. Such references might incorrectly imply that a respite provider is credentialed, and has met regulatory, licensing or credentialing standards issued by a private official accrediting organization or a government agency. Similarly, you may not refer to those successfully having completed the training as credentialed respite care providers or are in receipt of a respite provider certification or credential.
This disclaimer must remain on all materials included in the Replication Toolkit and Training whether or not the training and related information were used in their entirety.
"This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $942,520 with 75 percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $312,845 amount and 25 percentage funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
NASHP would also like to thank The John A. Hartford Foundation for providing the non-government matching funds for this project."
The full Terms and Conditions of Use are available at this link. By downloading any of the course material indicates you have read and understand the Terms and Conditions of Use.
National Respite Care Provider Training (NRCPT) Course Descriptions
Course 100: National Respite Care Provider Training – Introduction: This is a short course that provides overview information about the training, who the training is for, the development of the training, and the process of completing the training. This module is not part of the core training curriculum and could be modified to fit the needs of the mode of presentation (for example – explaining how an online training platform works).
Course 101: What is Respite?: This course defines respite care, discusses the benefits of respite, reasons to become a respite provider, and different settings respite can be found. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Principles of Respite.
Course 102: Disability Basics for Respite Providers: This course is an introduction to general disability and aging-related topics, such as understanding the preferred language to be used in interactions that we have with care recipients and family caregivers. This course also briefly touches on adaptive equipment and assistive technology. The concept of person and family-centered care is also introduced. Learners will build on these principles throughout the training courses. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Person and Family-Centered Care.
Course 103: Client Care for Respite Providers: This course discusses the different types of care support that an individual might need during respite care. A focus on person and family-centered care continues through promoting independence in different client care activities, while also taking into consideration the health and abilities of the care recipient. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Person and Family-Centered Care, Health and Wellness.
Course 104: Medication Awareness for Respite Providers: This course provides a general overview of medication awareness, including the seven rights of medication administration and special situations. A respite provider’s role in terms of medication may differ depending on their training and/or certification, as well as local laws and regulations. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Health and Wellness.
Course 105: Safety Procedures for Respite Providers: This course explores different emergency situations, ways to be prepared, providing care during the pandemic, and types of incidences to report. This course also looks at definitions of abuse and neglect for both children and adults/older adults. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Safety and Emergencies.
Course 106: Caring for Challenging Moments for Respite Providers: This course provides an introduction to understanding functions of behavior and explores tools and techniques a respite provider can use to respond quickly and safely while supporting a care recipient’s emotional well-being during challenging moments. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Health and Wellness, Safety, and Emergencies.
Course 107: Health, Wellness, and Respite Activities: This course examines the importance of meaningful activities and how to plan activities based on the physical health, functional ability, spiritual, and social-emotional needs and preferences of family caregivers and care recipients. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Health and Wellness and Planning Respite Activities.
Course 108: Professional Ethics and Interpersonal Skills for Respite Providers: This course discusses the interpersonal skills that are important for respite providers. Topics covered include communication and active listening, cultural preferences, and beliefs, understanding personal bias, respecting confidentiality, and maintaining professional boundaries. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Cultural Competency, Communication and Relationship Building, Ethics and Professionalism.
Course 109: Meeting the Caregiver and Care Recipient: This course walks through the steps a respite provider takes when finding and starting a new respite position. This course discusses interviewing with a potential family caregiver, meeting the care recipient, training with the family, and how to build trusting relationships throughout the process. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Communication and Relationship Building.
Course 109.5: State-specific Information: This module is not part of the core training curriculum and should be developed to cover specifics of respite care in your states. Topics that could be covered include how respite works in your state, respite funding sources across the lifespan, state abuse and neglect laws, state-specific restrictions on respite care (example: ability to provide medications or personal care activities), information on any state respite coalitions, and who the learner contacts to become a respite provider (registry, county, state association, etc.).
Course 110: Next Steps in Becoming a Respite Provider: This course turns the focus to the importance of selfcare for the respite provider, seeking additional training as needed for continued development, and national respite resources. This course meets the following Respite Care Professional Core Competencies: Selfcare, Professional Development.
Course Materials
The buttons below offer all eleven courses, pre/post survey, pre/post-test, Study Guide, and certificate of completion for use by a state or agency. To offer this training under the name of the National Respite Care Provider Training, all courses and all materials are required to be taught. This project understands that some states or agencies have rules, regulations, or laws around duties or actions that a respite care provider is allowed to perform. This project suggests that if the full training is used, each state or agency clearly defines respite providers' roles and responsibilities, along with laws and regulations, in the state-specific course. Click on each image to access the course files in English and Spanish.
REMINDER: If your state or agency would like to offer the course, as is, with no modifications or state-specific information, you can share the link (freetrainings.net) with anyone. Your state or agency would not have access to learner information, but you can ask a learner to provide their certificate of completion before becoming a provider for your program.
Access to Course Materials
Click on each course image below to access course materials. Additional course documents (pre/post-tests, surveys, study guide, and certificate) can be found in the last image below.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
The following are lessons learned from the pilot project related to course content:
Consider expanding training offerings.
There was a lot of positive feedback on the core curriculum that fully prepares entry-level respite providers; however, learners recommended additional training in specific areas, such as characteristics and needs of various disabilities or conditions, or skill development (such as CPR/First Aid). Resources to refer learners to additional training should be provided.
Provide information about next steps.
Learners requested more information on next steps, such as how to become a respite provider in their state. While this information may have been included in state-specific courses provided by pilot sites, it was not uniformly available and suggests that state-specific slides would be useful.
Make the training more interactive.
There is potential to enhance participation and engagement of learners by increasing the interactive nature of the online NRCPT.
