How to Run a Respite Care Foster Home

A respite care foster home gives attention and living support to children who have special needs due to a past traumatic experience or to children whose regular foster family needs some time alone. In addition to regular foster home certification, you need some special skills to run this type of residence.

Instructions

    • 1

      Meet all of the state requirements to become a foster care home. Pass all relevant criminal, driving and financial background checks and also take classes in first aid and CPR. This basic medical training may be mandatory for all adults in your home who will be left alone with the foster children.

    • 2

      Ask foster care organizations about the kinds of resources they have for training respite care providers. You may be asked to attend certain workshops designed to educate respite care providers about different medical and social needs of the children.

    • 3

      Schedule regular meetings with a psychologist or other professional to evaluate both the respite care child and your means of helping him cope with his issues. Take notes on what methods are working in your home and what situations need special attention, whether they are behavioral problems or mental conditions that you don't know how to deal with.

    • 4

      Get in touch with other foster care families and discuss how they have run successful respite homes. Find out more about the role that these families have played in the development of the child and follow the examples of their success stories.

    • 5

      Allow visits from the biological parents and social workers as outlined in your foster care agreement. Settle any issues with the child's biological parents by relaying the problem to the foster care agency and let their workers approach the genetic parents.

    • 6

      Learn the limits of your training and keep a list of professionals to contact in the event of an emergency. You may be caring for children with HIV or serious psychological damage as a result of past abuse, so it's essential for all of your family members to have knowledge of potential issues with the children and how to proceed if and when problems arise.

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