What is Respite Fostering?
Respite foster care is when foster children take a short-term stay with another family, to give their birth family or primary foster carers a break.
Respite fostering supports foster families by affording them the opportunity to take some time to unwind and recharge their batteries. It also provides essential support in situations where a foster family may be experiencing difficulties, and a little space is needed.
Our respite carers provide short-term care for children and young people within their local network of Compass foster carers. Generally, respite foster care takes place over a short period – between a couple of days to a couple of weeks. This is often over weekends, or during school holidays.
Why is Respite Fostering Necessary?
While fostering a vulnerable child or young person can be incredibly rewarding, it can also come with some challenges.
Most fostered children and young people have experienced some form of trauma or significant neglect before coming into care. As a result, some find it difficult to understand their emotions, and may display some challenging behaviour at times, or struggle with attachment issues.
While we strive to provide our foster carers with all of the support necessary for fostering arrangements to succeed, sometimes taking a short break can be beneficial for both our both foster children and their foster families.
Benefits of Respite Fostering
Respite care for foster parents and foster children has many benefits, including:
- Providing some space for foster families who are experiencing difficulty and are in need of a short break.
- Enabling foster carers to take some time to themselves and recharge their batteries.
- Offers foster children the opportunity to gain some new positive experiences.
- Provides foster children with the chance to develop a new positive, secure and trusting relationship with another adult in their life.
Fostering Respite Allowance
At Compass, we pay all our foster carers a generous fostering allowance that recognises and values their unique skillset.
We recognise that looking after a child or young person comes with various financial complications, which is why our fostering payments are comprised of a professional fee, and a daily living allowance for your foster child.
Find out more about our fostering allowances here.
Become a Respite Foster Carer
While at Compass we’re unable to offer solely respite fostering – many of our existing foster carers offer respite care for their fellow foster parents, alongside their existing fostering arrangements.
To become a foster carer with Compass, we ask that:
- You’re over the age of 21 years old
- You have a spare bedroom
- You have permanent leave to remain in the UK
- You have the time, passion and dedication to make a difference to a child’s life.
If you’re interested in starting your foster journey with us, or have any questions about fostering in general, get in touch with us. Our friendly team will be happy to assist you in finding the next steps to take.