Respite Care (Glossary)

Respite Care: Temporary or short-term home care of a child that is provided, either for pay or on a voluntary basis, by adults other than the birthparents, foster parents, or adoptive parents that the child normally resides with, which is designed to give the parents some time away from the child, and even the child some time away from the parents, to allow them to emotionally recharge and become better prepared to handle the normal day-to-day challenges of parenting.