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PROVIDING RESPITE CARE
Respite providers allow foster parents and children to take much-needed breaks so they can do other things or just have time away from each other.
Having these breaks can often make the difference between a successful placement and one that ends in another move for a child.
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Sometimes children are abused or neglected and it is not safe for them to stay at home. When this happens, family courts transfer their custody to the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF).
Some children, but most often teens, come into DCF custody because they’ve either committed a delinquent act or they are without or beyond their parents’ control.
In all of these situations, the state needs to find safe, nurturing places for the children to live while they can’t be at home. This is called foster care. While it is not a magical cure-all, foster care is a time-proven way of helping children and families in need.
Like all parents, foster parents also need a break from family obligations or to attend to adult matters. That's where respite providers come in. They give foster parents and children time off so they can do other things or just have time away from each other. Respite also provides children with opportunities to experience new things and to develop new relationships that can often last a lifetime.
Respite care is much like foster care, but for shorter periods of time. It can be for a few hours, a day, a weekend, or a week or two.
Some people only provide respite for a specific child or foster family they know, while others offer respite to any child or family in their community.
Share your time, talents, and interests with children in your community.
Become a respite provider!
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"DOING RESPITE CARE IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR A PERSON OR A FAMILY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD'S LIFE, IF ONLY FOR A SHORT PERIOD. IT'S ALSO A GREAT WAY TO GET YOUR FEET WET, TO SEE IF PROVIDING FOSTER CARE IS REALLY FOR YOU. BUT BE WARNED: ONCE YOU START, IT'S HARD TO STOP. YOUR HEART WILL BE TOUCHED, AND YOU WILL BE CHANGED FOREVER." |
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