Short break fostering (sometimes referred to as respite fostering) provides an opportunity for children to spend time with the same approved foster carer on a number of different occasions, enjoying new and different experiences alongside those provided by their primary caregiver. As the name suggests, short break fostering is also designed to provide a parent, guardian or full-time foster carer with a chance to recharge their batteries, take a short break from caring, and/or spend time with other children in their household
Please enter a search term
Short break fostering is usually offered by a local authority in relation to children with a disability, but it may be offered to other groups of children. Short breaks may be offered as part of a wider package of support for the child and family, which could also include residential provision (such as hospice care), or care services (such as specialist leisure providers) going into the family home. In other situations, it may be offered because the child requires additional support as part of their care plan, alongside their full-time fostering arrangement.
The support provided will depend on the needs of the child and the wider family. The legal status of the child may differ depending on the reason for the fostering arrangement and the child’s circumstances, but this will be clarified by the foster carer's supervising social worker.
Short break care can happen on a planned regular basis, so a relationship is built up between a child and their short break carer. A short break foster carer usually provides planned breaks in accordance with a child’s care plan, often at weekends or during school holidays. It may happen on an emergency basis if a full-time foster carer needs urgent support due to circumstances such as ill health or bereavement.
A short break foster carer may provide short term care to more than one child, depending on their availability and the children's needs. Their terms of approval will specify how many children they can care for at any one time. For example, a short break foster carer with approval for one child may be linked to two children, but care for them on different weekends each month.
Short breaks fostering can form part of the important scaffolding of support around a child, providing them with space to have different experiences to that of their home, while spending time with someone they can get to know and trust.
Becoming a short break foster carer
Short break foster carers are approved in the same way as other foster carers and will be required to complete training to support them in their role. They are self-employed and, depending on their fostering service's policy, may receive payments based on the number of hours or nights of care they provide. Short breaks fostering enables foster carers to offer as much time to fostering as they wish to, and many people choose to combine these fostering roles with additional employment. Some people may choose to offer short break care as a stepping stone to more full-time fostering roles, to see if fostering is for them.
Not all fostering services will be recruiting for all types of fostering roles, so if you are considering short break fostering, it may be helpful to contact more than one fostering service and/or consider any specialist short break fostering services in your area.
