12.12 Respite Care

Legal Authority

A foster or adoptive home parent(s) selects another foster or adoptive home parent(s) to provide respite care whenever feasible. The same requirements apply for a child deemed medically complex or care plus as outlined in procedures #4 and #5 below, with the exception of the two (2) hour training requirement. A child specific foster home may only provide respite for other child specific foster homes. Consultation with the recruitment and certification (R&C) FSOS will occur prior to respite if the child specific foster home has non-safety waivers in place.
Respite for a child(ren) deemed medically complex or care plus requires child specific training for both approval and non-approved foster or adoptive homes.
The R&C worker may request extended respite care for a foster or adoptive home, for up to fourteen (14) calendar days, with written approval of the SRA, when there is a family need or other emergency (illness, death in the family, etc.).
A respite provider should not exceed the number of children in the home as required in SOP 12.11 Number of Children in Foster and Adoptive Home unless an exception is granted as described in SOP 12.11.1 Placement Exception Request.

The R&C Worker:

Assists the foster family in locating respite options with active foster parents as well as utilizing the respite tracking system in TRIS, and encourages the use of respite care for every child in foster care; ¹
Follows the procedures below if a foster or adoptive home parent selects a respite care provider who provides respite in the foster or adoptive home, but is not an approved foster or adoptive home parent:

Completes SOP 12.3 Foster and Adoptive Home Approval Process, Procedure #2 and #3 regarding age and U.S. legal status;
Completes SOP 12.4 Background Checks for Foster and Adoptive Parents;
Completes the two (2) hour Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS/Cabinet) approved training for respite providers;
Obtains a confidentiality form; and
Enters the family into the respite tracking system in TRIS.

Follows the procedures below if a foster or adoptive home parent selects a respite care provider who provides respite care outside the foster or adoptive home, but is not an approved foster or adoptive home parent:

Completes SOP 12.3 Foster and Adoptive Home Applicant Process, Procedures #2 and #3 regarding age and U.S. legal status;
Completes SOP 12.4 Background Checks for Foster and Adoptive Parents;
Completes SOP 12.13 Home Environment Prerequisites regarding home environment;
Completes the two (2) hour Cabinet approved training for respite providers;
Obtains a completed confidentiality form; and
Enters the family in the respite tracking system in TRIS.

In addition to the above procedures in #2 and #3, verifies that the respite provider meets the following qualifications if caring for a child deemed medically complex or specialized medically complex and is not an approved foster or adoptive home parent:

Is currently certified in infant, child, and adult CPR and first aid;
Has completed the two (2) hour Cabinet approved training for respite providers; and
Has received individual documented training from a health care professional or a foster or adoptive home parent trained by a health care professional regarding how to medically care for a child deemed medically complex or specialized medically complex.

Ensures that a respite provider who is not an approved foster or adoptive home parent, that is caring for a child designated as care plus meets the above procedures in #2 and #3, and:

Completes the two (2) hour Cabinet approved training for respite providers; and
Receives individual documented training from the foster or adoptive parent regarding how to care for the child designated as care plus.

Does not have to complete an evaluation, home visit, or records check when respite care is purchased from a licensed agency authorized to provide respite care services;
Approves the number of respite days as outlined in SOP 12.28 Respite Expenses; ³
Contacts the local home health agency for a child deemed medically complex or specialized medically complex, to determine eligibility criteria and procedures for some Medicaid waiver services;
Assists the foster or adoptive home in determining the most appropriate use of when to access respite time;
Maintains only approved respite care providers through the respite tracking system in TRIS.

Submit the completed DPP-157 for all respite care providers annually. If the respite only provider is providing respite outside of the foster or adoptive home then the respite provider’s household members and children over age twelve (12) all need to complete the DPP-157 annually. The date the background checks are completed should be entered into the respite tracking system in TRIS.
For respite only providers who are providing respite outside of the foster or adoptive home, an annual home safety visit is completed and the date should be entered into the respite tracking system in TRIS.
For medically complex respite providers, maintain a current CPR and first aid certification and enter the date in the respite tracking system in TRIS.

The SSW:

Includes the provision of respite care in all case plans as outlined on the Case Planning Objectives-OOHC Tip Sheet.

The purpose of respite is to provide relief to foster or adoptive home parent(s) who are meeting the extraordinary demands of children in out-of-home care (OOHC).
Under no circumstance does the cost of respite care exceed the per diem rate for the child.