You can still make a huge impact by caring for a child one weekend every month.
Respite foster care is a part of our foster care program. Caring for a child one weekend every month (or more during school holidays), respite foster care provides a foster child with additional positive relationships and experiences, plus allows their foster families a little break.
Respite care is a great way to get started on your fostering journey and to see if fostering is right for you. You still get the opportunity to help children in need without committing to the full time aspect of other types of foster care.
Respite foster carers support both the children and their foster parents. Children benefit from having another supportive adult relationship who can act as a role model in their lives. You’re also invaluable to foster carers who may benefit from having a weekend break to rest and recharge.
“As respite foster carers we’re there to basically give their main foster carers a break for the weekend and allow that young person a bit of fun time and change of scenery.”
– Rory & Dan, Barnardos respite foster carers
We wanted to start a family nearly eight or nine years ago in the early days when we knew we wanted to be parents but we weren’t sure how how capable we were necessarily. Respite just seemed to be such a great option for us because it gave a little bit of a taste of parenting without 24/7 commitment.
Once we were approved for respite foster care we were eventually placed with – he was 12 at the time – a young man called Ben and he was going to stay with us for one weekend a month for a period of minimum two-year commitment. It was the first respite foster care placement and over a course of about four years.
In addition to Ben we looked after another three other young people, it was that one weekend a month or two weekends a month as it turned out to be a commitment. We got to test our abilities as parents and how we work together. As respite foster carers we’re there to basically give their main foster carers a break for the weekend and allow that young person a bit of fun time, I guess a bit of a change of scenery.
We got married in 2018 and Ben ended up being part of our wedding party. We felt like he was part of our family for a very long time and we wanted him to be a part of that.
It’s a very rewarding sort of experience and yeah once this little person comes into your lives you just will never look back.
Register your interest and we will contact you to make sure you get you all the foster care information you need.
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