Abstract
A family having to relinquish the care of their family member with a disability is a situation that is often dealt with by disability services. In precipitous situations, the relinquished individual usually is placed in respite care until suitable permanent accommodation is organized or he or she is able to return to the family home. To examine to what extent the literature has discussed the issues associated with the need for urgent respite and how this need may link to relinquishment of care, the authors undertook an extensive review of relinquishment of care. The literature indicated that many families and carers feel that their respite needs are not being met and that certain individual and family characteristics are associated with need for urgent respite (such as severe disability, poor support, and carer distress). The dearth of studies on relinquishment of care makes it difficult to draw clear, validated statements from the literature about this issue. However, extrapolation from the literature on respite and relinquishment involving other client groups’ points toward increased requests for respite being an early warning sign for relinquishment. The literature also notes that challenging behaviors, poor coping and lack of support, dire financial concerns, and carer distress are factors that often lead to relinquishment. The literature also notes that interventions such as active support and cognitive behavioral therapy can support families who are considering relinquishment or have relinquished care. The authors conclude that trends reported with regard to respite inadequacies reinforce the belief that for families and carers to receive maximal benefit from using respite, their respite allocation must be regular and planned in accordance to their needs. Overall, empirically based information regarding relinquishment of care involving people with intellectual disabilities is limited; hence, increased research on this issue is needed to expand the current knowledge base and the identification of strategies to more effectively support families.