PCA services for children under age 18

• Children under 18 must have a responsible party
• Parents, stepparents or paid legal guardians cannot be a child's PCA
• PCAs cannot help children with most instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
• PCA services depend on the age of the child and what parents do for a child that age.

There are activities that all children of a particular age are unable to do on their own. For example, no infants can bathe themselves. The assessor looks at what activities of daily living children without disabilities can do independently.

PCAs can help your child with:

• Activities of daily living
• Health-related procedures and tasks
• Observation and redirection of behaviors.

PCAs can help children with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). This may include light housekeeping and laundry for health and hygiene reasons integral to PCA services for the sole benefit of the child. These IADLs must be listed on the PCA Assessment and Service Plan. More information is available on PCA services.

• Assist with most instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
• Assist other family members unless under the shared service option
• Child care or babysitting.

Parents and family members are responsible for:

• Basic care, nurturing and supervision
• Giving medication
• Most instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), like shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning and transportation.

See Minnesota Health Care Programs Individualized Education Programs Services DHS-3456 (PDF).