Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

The program is managed by a Coordinator working with a team of eight people. It is for those people in the southern region of the Northern Territory who require information about services and access to respite care.

The Carelink Centre predominantly focuses on resourcing the community to access services and care for older people and younger people with a disability, and to provide information, support and resources to those who undertake the caring role.

The target group is located in and around Alice Springs and in the remote communities of the southern region, in addition to the Tennant Barkly region.

The Centre also operates nine respite programs for the region including:

• Mental Health Respite Program
• Respite house for younger people with a disability
• Carer Respite Centre
• Aged Care and Dementia Program
• Commonwealth Respite for Carers
• Respite for carers of young people with a severe or profound disability
• Young carers Activity
• Responsive Respite (Troopy) Program
• Respite for carers of children under the age of 12.

These programs are funded by the Australian Governments Departments of Health and Ageing and Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the NT Department of Health. The primary aim of all programs is to support unpaid carers in the community looking after a family member or a friend to have a break from their caring role. Respite is arranged in a variety of ways throughout the region, dependent on the needs of the carer.