Published March 2021

Respite care tends to be of longer duration than periodic childcare. It aims to give the caregiver a break from their care giving duties in which to refresh, reenergise, or recharge, prior to resuming their caregiver role. As a support service, respite care may be a pathway to increased stability for children in care, reducing the frequency with which they are moved into the care of a different caregiver. At present there are concerns within Oranga Tamariki that: there is little guidance around the provision of respite support; respite is not consistently provided to caregivers; and there is variation in the approach to respite care across Oranga Tamariki sites.

Oranga Tamariki has emphasised that its goal is for children to remain in the care of their families. In this context, the aim of respite care is to support children and their caregivers in difficult times.

Oranga Tamariki wishes to consider the types and range of respite care that it could provide, informed by models used in other jurisdictions.

This evidence brief primarily focuses on how respite care contributes to child wellbeing. It reports what the literature says about the benefits to child wellbeing when the child and main caregiver spend some time apart, through respite care.

The Research Questions: This evidence brief addresses five research questions, presented below in a non-hierarchical list: How is respite care provided in Aotearoa New Zealand and other jurisdictions, for children outside of, or within, the state care and protection system? What is the evidence for respite care (formal and informal) being beneficial to the wellbeing of children and young people? What is the evidence for respite care (formal and informal) being beneficial to the wellbeing of the parent/caregiver? What is the evidence for respite care (formal and informal) contributing to stability in care arrangements? What are the attributes of respite models of care that result in wellbeing benefits for the child and/or the parent/caregiver? (From the document). Record #7105

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