That's a good point. Doing respite is a good way to dip your toes and see if it's something you want to do for a long term placement. while my wife and I did foster immediately, we ended up taking a few short term placements and respite before actually taking a long term placement.

Ps.s we should be adopting in a couple months!

Good luck!

Contact your local health and welfare office and ask them what you need to do. They'll direct you.

Respite care is immensely needed all over.

Relief for foster parents and taking temp placements for kids who just came into the system or other emergencies is a huge deal. otherwise these kids end up staying in the office with a social worker or at a hotel room until they can find a placement. There is never enough.

Please volunteer if you can. They pay you for your trouble. Particularly if you are older and kids out of the house, you probably have the time and space to take a kid for 2 days so they don't have to be taken from their parents and spend the next night in the health and welfare office.

Find your local health and welfare office and ask.

Generally you need to take the same process as a foster parent, just only interested in respite. It varies by state though so definitely call the office and ask.

Generally (it varies by state) you go through the same process as a foster parent but indicate you are only interested in respite. Sign up, fill out a bunch of paperwork, take a class once or twice a week for a month, and you are good to go. There's a small follow up like once a year. The social workers should reach out to you about needed respite.