ARCH National Respite Network
The ARCH program was begun in the early 1990s with funding from the Children’s Bureau in the US Department of Health and Human Services to support a national network of federally funded respite and crisis care programs for children with disabilities, chronic illness and at risk of abuse and neglect. During its tenure as a national resource center, ARCH staff developed an array of resources for families and respite providers, including the national respite locator service, guides for starting respite programs in communities, and fact sheets on a variety of topics related to respite and crisis care not only for children and their families but also for families who are caring for the elderly.
When federal funding was no longer available, ARCH continued to make these resources available with the support of several hundred members of the ARCH National Respite Network who contribute to the organization each year.