Respite foster care
Respite fostering provides crucial support to foster families who need some time together to relax and rewind.
What is respite foster care?
Respite foster care provides valuable support to foster families who may be experiencing difficulties or simply need some time to unwind and spend some time together as a family.
This type of placement provides foster families with a short break, while a child in their care stays with their respite foster parent for a few nights. Generally, respite care takes place over the weekend and during school holidays.
Respite care is carefully planned with the foster parent and responsible local authority to ensure the child’s best interests and needs are met. Wherever possible, we encourage respite foster parents to get to know the children ahead of their first stay, so they can begin to establish a positive, trusting relationship.
Benefits of respite foster care
There are many benefits that respite foster care placements offer, including;
- Providing foster parents with a break from their day-to-day duties
- Helping to make a difference to a child's life - even if you're only caring for a child for a short period of time, you can still provide them with positive experiences
What qualities are needed?
- Energy
- Compassion
- Flexibility
- Patience
- Understanding
- Commitment
Respite fostering pay
Respite foster parents receive a generous fostering allowance, up to £75 per night, which varies depending on your level of experience.
Foster parents receive 22 nights respite per year, so you could receive up to £1,650 per family that you support – assuming they require their full respite allowance – while playing an important role in supporting the stability of a child in care.
Who can become a respite foster parent?
As respite care provides short term planned placements, it’s ideal for families, couples or single people who want to make a difference to a child’s life but can’t commit to full time fostering. The initial requirements are:
- You're over 21 years old
- You have a spare bedroom
- You have a legal right to work in the UK
- You have the time, energy and passion to transform a child’s life
How to become a foster parent
The first step is to fill out our online form and we’ll be in touch to talk to you about the role, answer any questions and take a few details from you to check you meet the initial criteria to foster.
We’ll then arrange to visit you at home, so you can learn more about the work we do and give us the opportunity to get to know you better. You’ll then need to complete an application form and, if accepted, you’ll start your full fostering assessment.
Other types of foster care
As well as respite foster care, there are a number of other types of placements, including:
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