Temporarily Caring for the Child or Youth if You Are Not the Kinship Caregiver

If you are a kin (e.g. a relative or close family friend), you may be able to temporarily care for the child or youth where they live or in your home, and get paid. This is meant to give their kinship caregiver a break from caregiving, and encourage connections for children and youth.

If you already have a kinship license

If you want to get payments to temporarily care for additional kinship children or youth, contact your licensor to request a reassessment to provide respite care to the kinship child or youth. Respite payments are taxable income.

If you do not have a kinship license

If you want to get payments to temporarily care for a kin child or youth, you can become a kinship certified respite provider. In order to be certified, you’ll need to meet the requirements in the next section. Respite payments are taxable income.

Requirements for certified kinship respite care providers

To apply to become a kinship certified respite provider and get paid, you must complete:

• An application
• An FBI fingerprint-based background check
• At least one interview
• An Infant Safety Agreement form

If you care for the child or youth in your home, a licensor must also do a walkthrough of your home. Everyone in your home who is age 16 and older, and everyone on your property who is age 16 and older who will have unsupervised access to the child or youth must also pass a background check.