Respite is a much needed service to fostering families. It allows foster parents to take a break, which helps prevent burn out. Respite offers birth children of the foster home quality time
with their parents. It also gives the foster children a break.
Hopefully, the foster children will be spending a weekend with other
foster children; children they can relate to.
A poorly planned respite weekend can cause more stress for everyone
involved: foster family, respite provider, and the foster children.
How do you prepare for respite in your home?
If you have not considered providing Respite to another foster family what are the barriers?
Thanks for putting 'Respite offers birth children of foster home quality time with their parents'. That is why we get respite regularly. It isn't because the placement is difficult or tough it is for the sanity of our own children.
ReplyDeleteWe use respite by connecting with other foster parents at trainings and support groups. Then I uses the same ones regularly. We also have the ability to swap for respite.
I also check with people who were previous placements the are no longer for reasonable reasons. OR if our placement worker knows of a great respite provider that only does respite then I use them.
we have provided lots of respite, yet I can count on one hand how many times we have been paid for it. I don't really care about the $$, but why can't the state do what it is supposed to do???
ReplyDeleteI think a better solution than foster parents providing respite for each other, is recruiting respite providers whose primary role is to provide respite. Not all families can be full time foster families, but this is a great way for families who would like to help, but can't provide ongoing placement, a way to do so. Also, I rarely have extra space in my home, if I have room, it's quickly filled with placement needs, so providing respite is tough, and finding a weekend when my kiddos don't have things on the calendar (birthday parties to attend, sports, etc.) can be tough. I am so grateful to the families who have provided respite for us in the past, and always try to return the favor, but in general, I feel like I'm giving all I have to the kiddos I have in my care and providing respite is not an attractive proposition.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angel for the input.
DeleteI love providing respite when I don't have our spaces filled. I often connect with other FP's through support meetings, however, our main source of respite is through our agency. We do provide out of agency respite, but it's difficult. One of our biggest issues is the time involved. Often we're driving an hour one way to meet/drop off children. For me, it's not worth it (to have the respite) if I spend half a day with all the kids in the car (three bio's and whatever fosters at the time) driving to drop off for two nights then another half day to pick up.
ReplyDeleteMany people get licensed with the intention of just doing respite.... but as you all know with the overwhelming number of kid needing placement and the lack of foster homes waiting for placements they often decide to take a placement to help out.
ReplyDeleteWhich then leaves us with no respite home but a home for the kiddos needing one.
Your suggestions are all great and I am taking notes!
I have wanted to be a foster parent for years. I am afraid. Thank you to all that do have the strength and love and kindness and patience. I just want to say that I understand the "break" is needed during what you call respite. It breaks my heart to know that these kids know they are fosters, without parents and their own homes and their own families. They are put in a temporary home and then they are taken away AGAIN and shoved somewhere else for a couple of days.It breaks my heart that they are removed from their home, then they think they find people who are supposed to love them and then thry are removed again. I know you all despise me for my reply, but if I was a child I would hate to know that the foster family who is to love me unconditionally seeks to get rid of me to get a break. If the foster kids go, then too should the birth children go as well or nobody goes at all. I would feel very unwanted all over again. I know...easy for me to say as I sit here...not in your shoes. Just a little comment that i am sure is going to cause many replies. I wish I could help in some way...not liscensed and am taking care of my 70 year old mom. if i could I would take a whole brood and make it a huge slumber party. the govt and red tape sure makes it difficult to help. maybe I could help in my church. God Bless all of you and your kids.
ReplyDelete