History

WRESACARE can trace its histroy back to the early 1960's, when a group of parents formed together to look at alternatives to facility based care for their children with disabilities. This movement eventuated with those parents opening one of the first Community Residential Units in the State.

As Westernport Residential Association, the organisation grew to the extent that in 1992 it was managing 17 Community Residential Units on behalf of the State Government.

In late 1992 the Kennett Government resumed all these CRU's, leaving the organisation with one small in-home respite service, with Government funding totalling just over $100,000 per annum. Following settlement in 1994 for assets resumed by the Department at the same time as the CRU's, the organisation undertook a review of its direction and future.

The result of this process saw the Association change its name to WRESACARE, and focus exclusively on respite service provision in the local Government Areas previously mentioned. Strategies undertaken at that time have allowed WRESACARE to benefit from increased funding for respite services offered since then, and is now in receipt of over $M1.5 in recurrent funding.

Throughout its history the philosophy of WRESACARE has been that the people who receive its services be given the opportunity to directly manage those services. Many of its committee members have children or relatives who directly receive WRESACARE services. As a result of this, WRESACARE has become more innovative, more responsive and more friendly to individual circumstances than many of its peers.