Retention Respite offers licensed foster parents or Tribal foster parents regular monthly breaks from caregiving, or when the caregiver has an emergent need to be away from the home. Retention respite has a 30 day waiting period once an eligible child is placed in your home. For each month you have a child in care for 20 days or more, you earn two days retention respite per month and can accumulate or “bank” up to 14 days that can be used at one time. Remember that respite over 14 days is considered a placement change. Once the hours drop below 14 days, you can begin accumulating hours the next month.
Retention respite is:
- Used only in daily units; you cannot use just a partial day.
- Available for each foster child who has been in placed with you 30 days or more. Licensed foster parents can opt to use retention respite for only one child in the home, even when more than one child is placed in the home. The time used will be subtracted from your accrued retention respite days.
- Tracked and monitored by your region. Tribal and private agencies must monitor retention respite eligibility and utilization for their licensed homes and coordinate with CA’s regional management to report access and utilization.