Respite Care 607-05-70-45-20-01

(Revised 10/1/2025 ML 3947)

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Throughout the life of the case, managing safety and providing service is achieved by ongoing engagement and assessment conducted by the agency. Respite care is defined as a pre-planned arrangement available to a parent/caregiver who needs temporary relief care for a child with special medical, emotional, or behavioral needs who requires time-limited supervision and support by an eligible respite care provider. Children may require additional support to maintain stability in their primary placement and respite care is a service the agency can consider. Respite care can be a highly effective reasonable effort to prevent removal from the home.

 

Eligible Children

Respite care is available to children under the age of 18 involved with the following public agencies:

 

Human Service Zones

• Child Protection Services (CPS)

• Case Management (In Home/Foster Care)

 

Division of Juvenile Services (DJS)

• Foster care placement

 

Tribal Social Services

• Foster care (IV-E) clients

 

Post-Adoption

• Department subsidy recipient only, must first expend funding from ND Post Adopt.

• A department subsidy recipient who is dually involved with a Human Service Zone and post adopt services may access CFS respite funds while their case remains open with the Human Service Zone.

 

Post-Guardianship

• Department subsidy recipient and those who were previously involved in North Dakota child welfare within the last 12 months prior to the establishment of a guardianship, must first expend funding from ND Post Adopt.

• A department subsidy recipient who is dually involved with a Human Service Zone and post guardianship services may access CFS respite funds while their case remains open with the Human Service Zone.

 

Relative Caregivers

A child may be in a primary placement with an unlicensed relative caregiver. The relative caregiver can request respite care in an effort to support the child’s needs and maintain placement stability. A child does not have to be under public custody of an agency or have a supervision order to access respite care.

 

Respite Care Request and Provider Agreement

The public agency staff is responsible to assist with completing the required paperwork and identify a licensed provider willing to offer respite care.

1. Public agency staff will submit Part 1 of the SFN 929, “Respite Care Referral and Agreement” requesting a pre-approval to the CFS Licensing Unit at cfslicensing@nd.gov.

    

2. If the request is approved the public agency staff must submit the SFN 929 “Respite Request and Provider Agreement” Part 2. This form must be submitted via email to the CFS Licensing Unit no greater than 30 days after the respite care episode has occurred in order to ensure reimbursement is made to the provider timely. Failure to submit claims within the required timeframe may result in nonpayment.

Respite care providers can only provide respite care to the child identified on the agreement. One SFN 929 can accommodate multiple respite care episodes for the same child if it is clearly documented on the form.

 

Respite Care Providers

A child must be provided respite care by:

• Licensed foster parents;

• Licensed child care providers; or

 

In order to receive reimbursement, the licensed provider must:

1. Sign the SFN 929 specific to the respite care provided to each eligible child.

2. Sign and submit a W-9 (SFN 53656) and voided check. If the licensed foster care provider is in need of assistance in completing paperwork they should contact their licensing specialist, their child's case worker or cfslicensing@nd.gov.

 

Amendment to a Foster Parent License

The Department is not required to amend a foster parent’s license to accommodate respite care when the SFN 929 is signed. The form provides a waiver in the event the number of beds needed when providing respite care exceeds the number on the license.

 

The Department will review the foster parent licensed bed capacity, discuss need, sleeping arrangements, and appropriateness of the respite care in lieu of amending the formal license.

 

Foster Care Providers Licensed by Tribal Nations and Nexus PATH

Agencies licensed or approved including Tribal Nations and Nexus PATH have policy and procedure to administer respite care payments within their agency structure. An eligible child may utilize a licensed or approved Tribal Nation or treatment foster care provider if pre-approved by the authorized licensing agency. The respite care provider is required to sign the SFN 929 when:

 

1. Respite Care to a Non-Agency Client: In order to offer respite care to a child who is not a current client in placement with the agency, the referring agency must seek preapproval from the authorized licensing agency to utilize their provider home before submitting the SFN 929 for preapproval to provide respite care, the foster care provider will be reimbursed directly from the Department.

    

2. Respite Care to an Internal Agency Client: If the respite care episode will bring the treatment foster care provider over the licensing capacity, the provider must sign the

   SFN 929. A Department payment is not associated with the internal agency respite care payment structure. However, the Department must pre-approve these respite care episodes in an effort to eliminate the need to amend the license.

 

Length, Duration, and Frequency of Respite Care

There is no limit on the number of respite care episodes an eligible child may receive; however, there is a limit to the length of time for each episode. Each respite care episode cannot exceed:

 

Overnights

A respite care episode is defined as no greater than 4 consecutive calendar days in a 7-day period.

Example: A child who is pre-approved for respite is eligible to receive respite for 4 consecutive calendar days i.e. (Friday to Monday). The child must return to their primary provider’s home no later than the 4th consecutive calendar day.

 

Non-overnights

A child cannot exceed more than 12 daytime hours of respite in a 7-calendar day period.

 

Respite Care Reimbursement

Respite care funds are maintained at the Department and managed by Children and Family Services. Reimbursement is allowed for pre-planned and pre-approved respite care needs. Reimbursement is paid directly to the licensed provider listed on the SFN 929.

 

Foster Care Provider

Daily rate is determined by the Department and managed by Children and Family Services. For more information about the current respite care rate refer to the maintenance rate sheet. The rate is subject to change dependent on program budget.

 

If there is a child in foster care receiving an excess maintenance payment (EMP), the child's EMP may be reimbursed if the child's daily rate + EMP are higher than the respite care rate determined by the department.

 

Child Care Provider

Child care costs vary per community standards. The Department will pay the community rate.

 

Additional Costs

Respite care funds can cover additional costs associated with providing respite care and such costs must be pre-approved by Children and Family Services. Additional costs may include but are not limited to:

• Transportation costs to a child’s school of origin based on 623-05-30-25 policy.

   

• Child care costs when a child placed with a primary provider does not utilize child care during the week, but the respite care provider works fulltime and would need child care during the day. The child care costs to a licensed child care setting can be included as additional costs paid to the respite care provider. A SFN 920 is required to be completed and submitted as part of the reimbursement. Respite costs cannot be used to reimburse a foster care provider who is also a child care provider based on 623-05-30-20.

 

Respite Care Examples

Primary Placement

• Child in the home of parent/guardian/ adoptive family

• Child in the home of a relative or fictive kin on a voluntary basis

• Child in a licensed foster home

• Child in an unlicensed relative placement (including TANF Kinship)

• Child on a trial home visit

 

Approved Scenarios

• A mother of a substance exposed newborn would like to participate in day treatment services and needs a break from the high demands of her baby. The Plan of Safe Care developed includes respite care so that she has the opportunity to focus on her treatment and to provide support to her and the newborn.. Respite care is provided so that she has the opportunity to focus on her treatment and to provide support to her and the newborn.

   

• Child is living with mom and three siblings. There was a recent CPS assessment opened. The two youngest children are very busy, and the CPS worker recognizes mom would benefit from one weekend of respite care each month to provide relief and support to her, and to stabilize the children in the home.

   

• A toddler child is living with grandma. The child requires extra supervision that is taxing for the grandma. The case worker recommend respite care two mornings a week for the next two months to give grandma a break, complete household chores, and grocery shop.

   

• Child is destroying property; the primary caregiver asks for help to re-group and seeks respite care to temporarily provide relief and support.

   

• Child is placed in a licensed foster home apart from siblings. The case worker and foster care provider observe his behaviors are escalating and he misses his siblings. The case worker arranges respite care with the siblings’ foster care provider once per month for a weekend visit. This respite care arrangement is intended to assist with placement stability, child behaviors, sibling connections, etc.

   

• Foster care providers are going to a wedding out of town where there will be loud music, lots of people, etc. They indicate the child placed in their home with severe autism does not do well in large groups and would benefit from respite care while they attend the wedding for two days. Given the needs of the child, the case worker requests respite care to assist in meeting the child’s needs, manage placement stability, and support the foster parents.

 

Scenarios Not Approved

• Mom is asking for respite care for her three children over the weekend because she does not have any family supports locally and she wants to go to camping with her friends. Respite care is not intended to provide babysitting services.

   

• Foster care providers are going to a wedding out of town and they would prefer to not bring the children placed in their home. The children do not have special needs or cares that would prohibit them from attending such an event. Substitute care may be an option in this situation. For example: A child has a 90-day respite pre-approval based on the child’s needs. However, the referring agency is wanting to use respite because the providers are going out of town, going to a concert, and wish to not take the child. This cannot be submitted for respite and must be reimbursed as substitute care as defined in 624-05-15-47.

   

• Grandma is caring for grandchildren under public custody of a Human Service Zone. She is asking to discontinue her responsibility as the primary placement of the children because the fulltime arrangement is too much for her. A new placement option should be identified in lieu of respite care.

   

• The children reside with their mom and are open with the agency for case management. The mom has registered for parenting classes but does not have child care during the time classes occur. This is an appropriate referral for Prime Time Child Care, not respite care. The case worker must verify to see if the Zone working with the family participates and reimburses Prime Time Child Care.