DISCUSSION:

Children’s Division Staff members of a Program Improvement Plan workgroup developed and recommended revisions to respite care policy. This memorandum provides information regarding revisions to respite care policy found in Section 4 Chapter 17 of the Child Welfare Manual. The revised policy includes the introduction of five new forms; Child Information Form for Respite Provider, CD-110, Respite Provider Evaluation/Payment Invoice, CD-111, Resource Family Exit Interview, CD-112, Respite Unit Tracking Log, CD-113, and Resource Parent Discipline Agreement, CD-119.

Types of Respite Care 

The Children’s Division contracts with respite care providers to provide respite service to a licensed resource home (foster, relative or kinship) in the home of the resource parent, or in the home of the respite care provider. If the service is provided in the home of the respite provider, the resource worker will use the Foster Respite Care Provider Checklist, CS-RC-2, to determine that the home is approved for child placement as set forth in CSR 40-60.040 Physical Standards for Foster Homes. Respite services may be approved as part of an adoption or guardianship agreement.

Recruitment and Retention 

The Resource Family Exit Interview, CD-112, is intended to facilitate the recruitment of those resource parents who no longer wish to provide continuous care and wish to close their foster care license. This form should be given to and discussed with the resource parents at the final home visit. It can also be used to recruit former resource providers that left the agency in good standing.

The resource worker will provide support and instruction to the respite care provider to encourage and promote retention of this vital resource. Retention activities are outlined in Section 4 Chapter 17 Subsection 3.

Approval Process 

Respite care providers must be approved by the Children’s Division. Section 4 Chapter 17 subsection 4 outlines the process to follow including background checks, and the completion of the CS-RC-1 and CS-RC-3. Staff are also required to complete the Foster Respite Care Provider Checklist, CS-RC-2 if respite services are to be provided outside the resource parent’s home.

Respite care providers are required to be fingerprinted every two years. The Children’s Division shall pay for the cost of the fingerprinting. The process for conducting fingerprints is located in Section 6 Chapter 3 Attachment A.

Staff may not approve the application or renewal of any person in which a record check reveals that a felony conviction for child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, a crime against children (including child pornography), or a crime involving violence, including rape, sexual assault, or homicide, but not including other physical assault or battery was determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Staff may also not approve the application or renewal of any person who in the past five years has had a court of competent jurisdiction determine a felony conviction for physical assault, battery, or a drug-related offense.

Workers must follow the guidelines for approval outlined in policy and not impose additional requirements on the provider.

Two additional forms that Respite providers are required to sign are the Resource Parent Discipline Agreement, CD-119, and the Safe Sleep Practices, CD-117.

If a licensed resource home also has a respite contract and is utilized for respite services, it is important to ensure that licensing capacities and other licensing regulations are met. The providers must demonstrate that they are able to supervise all the children in their care.

Renewal Process

Respite care providers must have their contract renewed on a yearly basis. Prior to allowing the contract, Cooperative Agreement for the Purchase of Foster Respite Care Services, CM-10, to be signed, the renewal process for determining approval of the provider for utilization of respite services must be completed. A summary of the previous year’s activity in the home, background checks, and a new CS-RC-2 must be completed. The fingerprinting process is only completed every two years. This process is outlined in Section 4 Chapter 17 Subsection 5.

Guidelines for Use 

Respite care is designed to provide temporary relief from stressful or emergency situations. It is not to be used for regular child care purposes.

The resource parent will provide a completed Child Information Form, CD-110, to the respite care provider. The utilization of this new form is to better equip the respite care provider with information about the children they will be taking care of and whom they can contact in case of an emergency.

If the placement child is identified to be at behavioral level, another trained Behavior Foster Care resource parent must be used for the respite services.

A unit of respite care for licensed traditional, medical, behavioral, relative and kinship providers is defined as a minimum of 12 hours up to a maximum of 24 hours. Use of respite care is not to exceed 12 units per child during a 12 month period of time. The 12 month period will begin on the date that the child was placed in the resource provider’s home. The 12 units will reset upon the one year anniversary date of the child’s placement. Unused units from the previous 12 month period are not rolled over to the new 12 month period. Local staff will be responsible for tracking the number of units. Tracking will be done with the newly developed Respite Unit Tracking Log, CD-113.

The capacity of placements the respite provider can have is determined using the information from the CS-RC-2. The resource provider that is only contracted as a respite parent will only provide respite services for a maximum of 6 placements at one time or less depending on the information on the CS-RC-2.

Respite for Career Providers 

Career foster parents are encouraged to use respite care a minimum of one (1) weekend per month plus 14 days per year. Units are calculated as explained in the Guidelines for Use. A child that is determined to be career level on the Alternative Care Information, SS-61, may only be provided respite services by a provider that has a career license with the Children’s Division. The career respite care provider must have a current Agreement for the Purchase of Respite Care for Career Foster Parents, CM-9.

The career respite care provider can only provide care for a total of two career level youth at one time including their own career level youth placements.

Reimbursement for Respite Care 

Respite care providers for Legal Status 1 children are reimbursed $20.00 per unit, per child. Career respite care providers are reimbursed $40.00 per unit per child for those children that are classified on the SS-61 as a career level child.

The respite payment is processed by the Children’s Service Worker (CSW) via a Children's Services Integrated Payment System Invoice, CS-65. The resource parent will submit the completed Respite Provider Evaluation/Payment Invoice, CD-111, to the CSW within 5 working days of receiving the respite service. The new form, CD-111, provides a uniform process to submit respite units and to monitor the appropriateness of the respite care provider as a respite resource. The worker will make only one payment entry for the respite services per month for the respite care provider. The payment entry using the CS-65 needs to be entered by the last day of the month to ensure timely payment to the provider. A copy of the CD-111 will be retained in the respite care provider’s case file.

Case Recording

A case file will be maintained by the licensing/resource worker for the respite care provider similar to a resource provider’s file. The outline for the case recording of a respite only resource is provided in Section 4, Chapter 17.9. If the respite care provider is also a licensed resource home (foster, relative, or kinship) the only addition to the typical resource file as defined in Section 5 Chapter 1.6 - Recording Guidelines and Record Composition – Resource Provider Records, will be the respite service specific forms.

Resource Parent Discipline Agreement 

To be in compliance with the Foster Parent Licensing Regulations, all resource parents are to sign the Resource Parent Discipline Agreement, CD-119. The Children’s Service Worker will go over the form with the applicant(s) and be convinced that the applicant understands and agrees to not using corporal punishment and the forms of discipline listed on the form considered to be unacceptable. The Children’s Service Worker will ask the applicant(s) to agree to a positive alternative method listed on the form. The Children’s Service Worker will obtain the signature of the applicant(s) as confirmation of agreement. The worker and the worker’s supervisor will also sign the form.