ˈres-ˌpīt

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re·spite
Pronunciation: \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English respit, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin respectus, from Latin, act of looking back. Date: 13th century
1 : a period of temporary delay
2 : an interval of rest or relief
[Definition taken from Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary]
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A blog friend [actually, a couple of blog friends] recently posted about doing respite or their foster children receiving respite. Respite is a great way to support "full-time" foster parents if you can't commit to long-term placements. In my state [and I think is the case in most states], not just anyone can watch a foster child for an extended period of time. Only licensed foster parents can care for a foster child overnight.

What does this mean? It means you can be a big help to full-time foster families by becoming a respite provider. In my county, you have to become a licensed foster parent to provide this service—this is for the children's safety. Private foster care and other states may have different rules. Once you are licensed, you can do respite on just weekends for even for a week. It is up to you to decide what you can take. With respite, you have control over the gender, ages, behaviors, etc, that you will take. It is not like getting a call in the middle of the night for an emergency placement—you have time to decide and much more information at your fingertips. You might even have "repeat" respite placements. It's always a good thing if a kid wants to come back!

Because you have to become a licensed foster parent to provide respite, there is a positive twist. You might like doing respite so much that you want to foster full-time. ::gasp!:: In that case, you'll already have your license AND experience under your belt. That was what I was going for when I started. I wanted to get my feet wet. Now I'm open to becoming a full-time foster parent and I recently requested to be placed on the emergency call list.

While foster parents in my county tend to underutilize respite, this is not the case everywhere. I've seen many foster parents blog about the lack of respite providers in their particular county/state. It can't hurt to call your local DSS and ask if respite providers are needed and what are the first steps to becoming one.