17.6 Guidelines for Use
Respite care is designed to provide temporary relief from stressful situations. Respite care may be planned in advance or used due to an immediate family need. Respite care will be available to resource providers based on the needs of the family. These needs may include, but are not limited to, illness, death in the family, hospitalization, or imminent risk of removal of the child where “time out” would stabilize the placement. Respite care should not be used for regular child care purposes. Respite care for children in specialized foster care, such as youth with elevated needs foster homes, will be provided per the respective program guidelines.
- Licensed resource providers must notify the worker or their supervisor in their county of residence prior to using respite care.
- Together with the licensed resource provider, the worker will assess the appropriateness of the selected respite care provider for the child(ren). Caution should be exercised when using currently licensed homes and facilities to assure that license capacities are not exceeded and the provider is able to adequately supervise all children in their care.
- If the child is identified in FACES to be in a youth with elevated needs- Level A placement, another trained Level A resource provider must be used for respite services.
- The worker must determine the balance of respite care units available to the licensed resource parent. This will be done on the Respite Unit Tracking Log, CD-113.
- Upon approval from the worker or supervisor, the licensed resource provider will be responsible for making all necessary arrangements for a child’s placement in respite care.
- The licensed resource provider must provide the worker the completed Respite Provider Evaluation/Payment Invoice, CD-111 documenting the number of units used. The resource parent must submit the invoice within five (5) working days of receiving the respite service.
- The worker will process payment via the FACES Payment Request by the last day of the month that the service occurred in order for the payment to be timely. The worker will make only one payment entry for the respite services for the resource provider provided that month.
The capacity of placements the respite provider can have is determined using the information from the CS-RC-2. Resource providers contracted as a respite parent only will provide respite services for a maximum of 5 placements at one time or less depending on the information on the CS-RC-2.
A unit of respite care for licensed traditional, relative, kinship, medical, emergency, and Level A 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 anniversary date of the child’s placement. Unused units for the previous 12 month period are not rolled over to the new 12 month period. At any time a child is placed in a new provider’s home, the respite units reset for that child at the new placement. Local staff will be responsible for tracking the number of units utilized by the licensed resource parents. Tracking will be done on the CD-113. Respite care providers will be reimbursed at the appropriate rate per unit per age of child.
A provider may also use a half unit of respite care. A half unit is a minimum of six (6) hours up to 12 hours and is reimbursed with payment code FPPR.
The payment exception is that Level B respite care providers will be reimbursed per unit or half unit (CPPR) per child for those children that are classified on the Alternative Care Client Information screen, SS-61, as a level B child.
On a case by case basis, the worker may request supervisor approval for up to 20 units of respite for a resource provider per foster youth. Regional Director or designee approval is required for more than 20 units.
Licensed resource providers shall prepare children for respite placement by:
- Arranging pre-placement visits (for planned respite care) and by being sensitive to the child’s needs.
- The licensed resource provider shall provide the respite care provider with a copy of the Child/Family Health and Developmental Assessment, CW-103, and the child’s MO HealthNet card.
- The licensed resource provider shall provide the respite providers with a completed Child Information Form, CD-110, for each child. The CD-110 includes emergency numbers, number where the foster parent can be reached, the number for the child’s worker, child’s physician and the hospital of choice.
Chapter Memoranda History: (prior to 01-31-07)
Memoranda History:
CD07-52, CD09-07, CD09-50, CD10-08, CD10-123, CD14-17, CD17-07, CD17- 39, CD18-16