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Respite & a real break.
How this collection works
Every organization below carries a verified date and links to its own site or an official source. Where we couldn't confirm something — including whether an official statewide respite directory even exists — we say so instead of guessing. For the policy side (the 10-day rule, the 72-hour line, who needs DFCS assessment), the respite care guide is the reference; this page stays consistent with it.
First, know what the state will pay for
Before you line up a provider, know that Georgia funds real respite — most new foster parents are never told this.
Paid respite: up to 10 days a fiscal year
GovernmentDFCS reimburses respite care at the child's current per diem rate, up to 10 days per foster home per fiscal year (July–June), used one day at a time or all at once — approved by the County Director or designee, so set it up through your case manager ahead of time and get the approval in writing. If a crisis eats the 10 days, the County Director can request a state-office waiver for more. Verified Oct 1, 2026 · DFCS COSTAR 3001 §109.20; policy 14.18
Another foster family: the zero-paperwork provider
For stays longer than three days, this is the path with no extra process at all.
A fellow approved foster parent
State ruleUnder Georgia's extended-respite rule (GAC 290-2-31), another approved foster parent can provide respite of more than 72 hours with no additional assessment — they've already been screened. Anyone who isn't a foster parent must be assessed by DFCS before an extended stay. Verified Jul 2, 2026 · GAC 290-2-31
- Works for both paid respite days and unpaid, informal swaps
- Approval for the stay still comes from your case manager — the rule covers who, not whether
How families actually find each other
There's no matching app for this — it's relationships, built before you need them. In practice, Georgia foster families meet their respite partners through agency and county support groups, foster parent association networks like the Adoptive & Foster Parent Association of Georgia (afpag.net, advocates at 1-877-804-6610 Jul 2, 2026), and the other families you keep bumping into at trainings. Veteran advice, not policy: pick a family you'd trade with both directions, and set it up while things are calm.
Church care communities: free, wrapped-around help
Teams that adopt one foster family and keep showing up — meals, errands, babysitting, and planned breaks that don't touch your 10 paid days.
Promise686 · Care Communities
NonprofitChurch-based volunteer teams wrapped around one foster family at a time: meals, babysitting, mentoring, practical help. Promise686 also implements CarePortal in Georgia. You can request a care community — or start one at your church.
- 770-274-6560
- 5300 Triangle Parkway, Suite 202, Peachtree Corners, GA
- Works through partner churches across Georgia
Hope 1312 Collective
NonprofitMonthly respite nights for foster and kinship families on the Georgia coast, plus caregiver training (TBRI) and a summer camp for kids 6–12. Based in Brunswick, serving the coastal counties.
- (833) 446-7310
- 3365 Cypress Mill Road, Unit 9/10, Brunswick, GA
- Coastal Georgia (Brunswick / Golden Isles area)
A care-community babysitter is still a babysitter in the state's eyes — the 2-night and 72-hour thresholds below don't disappear because the help is free and church-organized.
A few hours vs. a weekend: which rules apply
Not every break is "respite." For short stretches, you already have more freedom than you may think.
The short-break primer
State rule- A few hours (date night, appointment): pick a responsible adult sitter using the reasonable-and-prudent-parent standard — no approval needed (O.C.G.A. §49-5-8.1 lets a foster parent "allow individuals 18 years of age or older to supervise" the child). Oct 18, 2026
- Overnight, up to 2 nights: still your call under the same standard; past 2 nights you need agency permission. Jul 2, 2026
- Past 72 consecutive hours: it's respite — the provider rules above kick in (foster parent: no assessment; anyone else: DFCS-assessed first). Jul 2, 2026
A program to ask about if you don't know where to start
Georgia Center for Resources & Support (GACRS)
State-contractedA program of Families First under contract with Georgia DHS since 2002, for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. If burnout is the problem and you don't know which door to knock on, a regional resource advisor is a person whose job is exactly that.
- Phone line and website not republished: unconfirmed on Oct 18, 2026. Ask your caseworker or DFCS.
- Free online courses that count toward CPD training hours — as do ours, at Foster411 Training
- Lending library and regional resource advisors statewide
We use this box for something we couldn't confirm with an official source, or that is changing. See it on our list of everything we're still confirming
GACRS respite referrals: not yet confirmed
GACRS is sometimes described as offering respite referrals. On Oct 18, 2026 we could not confirm that the center, its phone line, courses or library are still operating (gacrs.org showed a hosting placeholder), and we never confirmed the respite-referral service. It's worth asking when you call; if they confirm it (or you've used it), tell us and we'll document it properly.
What we haven't verified
We use this box for something we couldn't confirm with an official source, or that is changing. See it on our list of everything we're still confirming
No official "find a respite provider" directory — that we could confirm
Georgia doesn't publish a statewide, public list of respite providers that we've been able to verify. In practice, respite coverage comes through your case manager, other foster families you've built relationships with, a DFCS-assessed caregiver you propose, or the community supports on this page. Some private agencies keep their own respite lists for their families — if yours does, use it, and tell us about it so we can document what exists. A visible gap beats a plausible guess.
Sources & verification
- DFCS COSTAR 3001 §109.20 — respite paid at the child's per diem, 10 days per foster home per fiscal year, County Director/designee approval, state-office waiverffs.dhs.ga.gov Oct 1, 2026
- DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §14.18 — paid respite, 10 calendar days per fiscal year, approved foster parents onlypamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 1, 2026
- GAC rule 290-2-31 — Respite Care of More Than 72 Hours (foster parent vs. assessed caregiver)rules.sos.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- O.C.G.A. §49-5-8.1 — short-term respite care, prudent-parent standard (official code)advance.lexis.com (search 49-5-8.1) Oct 18, 2026
- GA+SCORE RPPS Complete Handout Packet (2-night & supervision thresholds)gascore.com Jul 2, 2026
- Promise686 — Care Communities, CarePortal Georgia, Peachtree Corners office & phonepromise686.org Jul 2, 2026
- Hope 1312 Collective — monthly respite nights, Brunswick office & phonehope1312co.org Jul 2, 2026
- GACRS: described in DFCS policy 11.13 (2015); gacrs.org and the DFCS GACRS page were not usable on Oct 18, 2026pamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 18, 2026
- AFPAG — advocacy line 1-877-804-6610dfcs.georgia.gov Jul 2, 2026
This page summarizes policy in plain language and is not legal advice. Counties and private agencies layer their own procedures on top of state policy — if today is well past our verified date, confirm the details with your case manager before you book anything.
Running on empty and not sure who to call first?
Ask your caseworker or licensing agency which free advisors, trainings and support groups are available in your region. The Georgia Center for Resources & Support was one such program, but we could not confirm on Oct 18, 2026 that it is still operating.