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School Holiday Activities

The Parkside Foundation recognises that school holidays can be a difficult time for both students with disabilities and their carers or families.  Parkside is funded by the Home and Community Care Program (HACC) to provide respite for carers.  We have targeted this funding to provide a range of activities for teenagers with disabilities during holiday periods to provide respite for carers during these periods of peak demand.

Why is our Program Targeted to Teenagers with Disabilities?
There are many school holiday programs that cater for children (including children with disabilities) up to the age of twelve.  There are no programs for those aged thirteen and over, as they are generally considered able to entertain and look after themselves. 

Unfortunately for some teenagers with disabilities, this is not the case and school holidays can place additional pressure on themselves and their family.  Our program aims to provide respite for families, and a chance for teenagers to mix with peers and renew, maintain or develop new friendships.

Eligibility
Carers of teenagers with disabilities.

Activity Fees
Fees are charged each day and help meet the cost of the activities.  The amount charged varies depending on the activities.  We are mindful of cost and try to keep these to a minimum.

HACC Fees
The respite provided is funded by the Home and Community Care Program (HACC) and we are obliged to charge HACC Fees in accordance with set guidelines.

• HACC Fees are $5.00 per respite session, to a maximum of $10.00 per week. 
• If you are already paying HACC Fees to another service provider (ie. community nursing) during the times that you are using Parkside's services, you do not have to pay any HACC Fees.
• If you are having difficulty paying fees then you can contact the Service Manager on the phone number below.  This service will not be denied if you are unable to pay.

For an example of the program structure and types of activities available through The Parkside Foundation during school holidays, see the following document:

Example of School Holiday Program activities (1 Page, 4.12 KB)

For more information please contact:

Belinda Smith, Services Manager - Human Resources, on (03) 6243 6044.

This service is funded by the Home and Community Care Program (HACC), a joint Commonwealth and Tasmanian Government funded program.