Across Reading, children of all ages are waiting for someone who can offer a safe, nurturing environment for short periods away from their long-term fostering families. Many have complex emotional, medical or communication needs and require thoughtful and skilled support.
What is respite fostering?
Respite foster carers provide a very valuable service by providing temporary care to foster children so our regular foster carers can have a break. Respite carers may also offer support to families who are at risk of breakdown because they don’t have other support available to them.
Respite fostering is a way of getting involved without having a child living with you full time – a child or children will usually stay with you for just a few days at a time. How often you provide respite depends on your availability.
Respite fostering: a case study
Joshua, who is 14 years old, has been with his foster carers for eight years. He is really settled and he likes being there. Joshua has additional, complex needs and needs to be supervised constantly. To support the carers in continuing to care for him, they have regular breaks called ‘respite’.
Joshua now has regular respite foster carers whom he stays with for a weekend every two months. He has a great relationship with them and they have become like an extended family for him. Joshua has been able to go for sleepovers with them for the last four years.
What does it involve?
Respite fostering means welcoming a child into your home for short stays, such as weekends or planned breaks, and providing:
- A safe, calm and welcoming environment
- Care tailored to their individual needs
- Support with routines, personal care, mobility or communication
- Patience, understanding and reassurance
- Continuity with their school, friendships and daily life.
You’ll be helping children who may have:
- Physical disabilities
- Complex health or medical needs
- Autism, sensory or communication differences
- Emotional or behavioural needs linked to past trauma
A trauma-informed approach
Some children with additional needs have also experienced trauma. This can affect how they communicate and present. We will support you to understand what sits behind behaviours, helping you respond with empathy. With the right approach, you can help a child feel safe, understood and valued.
What support will you receive?
- Competitive, tax-free fostering allowances
- Enhanced payments for specialist care
- You will become part of our fostering community
- You will have access to a wide range of training opportunities including trauma-informed care and medication administration support
- You will have an allocated supervising social worker
- You will have access to the Emergency Duty Service out of hours and our team during the day Monday-Friday between 9-5pm
Be part of something life-changing
Respite fostering is flexible, rewarding and truly impactful. Whether you can offer a weekend, occasional short stays or more regular support, you can help a child feel safe, cared for and valued.
If you have the patience, empathy and commitment to make a difference, we would love to hear from you.
Call us on 0300 131 2797 or enquire here.
How much do foster carers get paid?
Foster carers’ pay has two parts:
The reward for the foster carer, plus maintenance pay, or an allowance, for the child. You will receive your reward, plus the child’s allowance when they are living with you. These are paid fortnightly directly into your bank account.
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