17.1 Respite Care
Respite care is the provision of periodic and/or intermittent, temporary substitute care of children who are in the care and custody of the Children’s Division (CD), placed in a licensed foster home or in the home of a kinship. It is designed to provide relief from the stresses of the constant responsibilities of providing out-of-home care. It is not for use in regular child care situations when a parent would normally use ordinary child care, i.e., hiring a baby-sitter for an afternoon or evening outing. Respite care may be planned in advance or used in emergency situations. Respite care may be provided to licensed foster and kinship parents a minimum of 12 hours, daily, overnight or on a weekly basis. Respite care should be used to maintain stable placements, but should not be used to exclude foster children from ordinary and traditional family activities.