Respite care

Respite care is a form of out-of-home care that provides short-term accommodation for children before they return to their usual home.

There are two types of respite care:

Respite from birth family

Respite care provides temporary care for a child whose parents may be unwell or unable to care for them. In other cases, respite care is used to help support the birth family to stop the child entering into full-time or out-of-home care.

Respite from out-of-home placement

This provides respite for the foster/kinship carer. The child spends short, regular or agreed upon periods of time with another carer.

Your state and territory central authority will be able to let you know the eligibility requirements for respite carers.