Who is eligible for respite foster care payments?

Eligibility for respite foster care payments is determined by the fostering service’s approval rules and payment policy. In practice, payment is normally linked to being approved to foster and undertaking a respite arrangement that the service has formally agreed. An enquiry, application or attendance at training alone does not usually create entitlement to a fostering payment.

Before approval, the fostering service assesses whether you can provide safe, consistent care for children and young people. The assessment usually considers:

• Your age and legal circumstances: you must meet the service’s minimum age and right-to-foster requirements. Any restrictions that could affect your ability to care for a child will need to be discussed.
• Your health and wellbeing: a medical assessment helps establish whether you can manage the practical and emotional demands of fostering. A health condition does not automatically prevent approval; the relevant question is whether appropriate care can be provided safely.
• Your household: everyone living in the home may be considered, including their views, relationships and ability to support a placement. Checks may also apply to regular visitors or other adults who have significant contact with the household.
• Your home and available space: the property must meet safety requirements and provide suitable sleeping arrangements and privacy for the child. The service will also consider whether the home is appropriate for the age, needs and circumstances of children requiring respite.
• Your background and suitability: safeguarding checks, references and other checks form part of the assessment. Previous convictions or difficult experiences do not necessarily result in an automatic refusal, but they must be declared and assessed openly.
• Your capacity and availability for the role: respite care still involves supervision, routines, boundaries, communication with professionals and responding to a child’s individual needs. The service will consider whether your circumstances allow you to meet those responsibilities for the agreed period.

You do not generally need to be married, own your home or have children of your own to be considered. Single applicants and couples may be eligible, provided they meet the relevant assessment standards. Being in employment does not automatically prevent someone from fostering either, although practical arrangements must allow the agreed respite care to be provided safely and reliably.

Approval is not based only on personal circumstances. You will normally need to complete preparation training and participate in an assessment before a fostering panel or authorised decision-maker considers your suitability. If approved, the terms of approval may identify the ages, number or needs of children you can care for. Those terms affect which respite placements you can accept and therefore which payment arrangements may apply.

There is an important difference between being eligible to apply and being eligible to receive a payment. A prospective carer may be able to start an enquiry or assessment, but payment generally follows only after the required approval has been completed and a placement has been agreed under the service’s procedures. The written placement information should explain the dates, responsibilities, payment basis and any expenses connected with the arrangement.

Existing foster carers may also provide respite, subject to their approval terms, household circumstances and the service’s assessment of whether they can safely take an additional placement. A service may apply different rules to respite provided by an approved foster carer, a connected person or another arrangement, so the source of the placement and the status of the carer should be confirmed before care begins.

Ask the fostering service to confirm four points before accepting a respite placement:

• that your approval covers the proposed child and type of care;
• that the arrangement has been formally authorised;
• how the payment and any agreed expenses will be recorded; and
• what happens if the dates, length or circumstances of the placement change.

This written confirmation helps distinguish a payable respite placement from informal babysitting, an unpaid favour or care provided before approval. If your circumstances change after approval, tell the fostering service, as it may need to review your approval terms or payment arrangements before another respite placement is accepted.