17.5 Guidelines for Use
Respite care is designed to provide temporary relief from stressful or emergency situations. Respite care may be planned in advance or used in emergency situations. Respite care will be available to foster/kinship parents based on the needs of the family. These needs may include, but are not limited to, illness, death in the family, hospitalization, or imminent risk of removal of the child where "time out" would stabilize the placement. Respite care should not be used for regular child care purposes. Respite care for children in specialized foster care, such as behavioral and career foster homes, will be provided per the respective program guidelines.
Foster parents shall follow all procedures established by the children’s division for requesting and using respite care, RSMo 210.566. Foster/kinship parents must notify the Children’s Service Worker or their supervisor in their county of residence prior to using respite care. Together with the foster/kinship parent, the Children’s Service Worker will assess the appropriateness of the selected respite care provider for the child(ren). Caution should be exercised when using currently licensed homes and facilities to assure that license capacities are not exceeded and the provider is able to adequately supervise all children in their care. The worker must also determine the balance of respite care units available to the foster/kinship parent. Upon approval from the worker or supervisor, the foster/kinship parent will be responsible for making all necessary arrangements for a child's placement in respite care. The foster/kinship parent must provide the worker a written statement from the provider giving the number of units used. The worker will process payment via the CS-65.
A unit of respite care is defined as a minimum of 12 hours up to a maximum of 24 hours. Use of respite care is not to exceed 12 units per family during a 12 month period of time. Local staff will be responsible for tracking the number of units utilized by foster/kinship parents. Respite care providers will be reimbursed $20.00 per unit per child.
Foster/kinship parents shall prepare children for respite placement by arranging pre-placement visits (for planned respite care) and by being sensitive to the child's needs. The foster/kinship parent shall provide the respite care provider with a copy of the CW-103 (Foster Child Identification and Information Sheet) and the child's MO HealthNet card. The foster/kinship parent shall provide emergency numbers to the respite care provider. These shall include a number where the foster/kinship parent can be reached, the name and number of the Children’s Service Worker for each child, the child's physician and the hospital of choice, and the name, address, and telephone number of the child's parents.