Crisis nurseries: Important services in a system of care for families and children

This paper reports the results of an evaluation of crisis nursery services for five crisis nurseries in Illinois from 2000 to 2003 based on analysis of administrative data reported to the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Crisis nursery services, sometimes called “respite” services, provide temporary emergency care for children. The results demonstrate the vital importance of availability of emergency support services for young children and their caregivers. By describing how crisis nurseries respond to needs of families of young children and provide the after-crisis care. It describes the important role crisis nurseries currently play in crisis intervention and after-crisis services for children and their families.