Are children receiving respite care in a foster home counted in the home’s capacity and child/caregiver ratio?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only if the respite period is longer than 30 days
• D. Only if licensed

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that capacity and the child/caregiver ratio are about how many children are under the caregiver’s supervision in the home at any given time. If a child is staying in the foster home for respite, they are in the caregiver’s supervision during that period, so they count toward the total number of children in the home. Because of that, respite children must be included in the home’s capacity calculation and in the ratio, regardless of how long the respite lasts, and regardless of licensing status. In short, any child in the home for care, even temporarily, affects how many children the home can safely accommodate.