Grandparents call for the State and Commonwealth governments to work together to assist them. They feel that we are not dealing with the issues as a society. The present system is too complex with different legislation, protocols, policies and procedures and little coordination between and within Governments and their departments. Grandparents ask for an open system of support, not the present one of hidden benefits that they often learn of by chance.
They believe they require a special status or category recognising their particular situation, which can include caring for frail elderly parents or a spouse and/or other dependent children, as well as their young grandchildren, while also coping with their own health issues.
They want more recognition of their rights and needs, and greater awareness of their situation from staff in child protection agencies, Centrelink and other government departments.
I know that as a grandparent I experience very similar aspects of the foster carer but there are many issues I have experienced and continue to that foster parents do not and these are the very reason that grandparent and kin carers need to be considered at this time. Firstly, I am emotionally involved, but not only with the children in my care. I am emotionally involved with the father of my granddaughters. ... I love my son and yet he has chosen a path I could never walk and the result was that I ended up with his children. I now love these little girls as my own but they are HIS children and he has to be considered....
I did not choose to be a foster parent as it is not a path I wished to travel. Foster parents are very special people who do this for their own reasons and most of them do it very well but they have a choice. Grandparents also have a choice but it is not the way most grandparents are - they will take these children and do their very best to give them the best life they can. (Grandmother 60, Grandchildren 4 & 6)
To be recognised by the government and legal identities as being long term responsible grandparents, who have accepted the parenting role and are prepared to do our very best for a family child or children whom we love dearly and are our flesh and blood, and to not have our role of responsibility taken away as easily as it can be now as soon as one or the other birth parent feels the need to be a family again. (Grandmother 57, Grandchild 10)
Recommendation #1
That Commonwealth and State Governments together recognise grandparents raising their grandchildren as a special group requiring assistance.
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10.1 Financial issues
Grandparents say that most of their major difficulties would disappear if the financial issues were resolved. Around Australia, they call for the same financial payments and subsidies and support services as foster carers receive. Grandparents, especially those on aged pensions or limited retirement incomes, have difficulty providing for babies and young children, particularly if they arrive with no notice and few possessions. The cost of basic furniture, bedding, baby equipment, clothing and toys, as well as money for school fees, uniforms, books etc. pose great financial hardship on all but wealthy grandparents.
Grandparents point out that they are saving taxpayers a huge amount each year because if they did not take in the grandchildren they would become the responsibility of government. The payments and support services they have identified include:
- fortnightly payments - not means tested or taxable
- lump sum payments for one-off expenses, e.g. initial establishment and items such as medical and dental treatment for the grandchildren
- payment for major items that may be required, such as a bigger car and house renovations to accommodate the grandchildren
- annual payments for specific recurring items such as school fees, uniforms, books and other education expenses
- regular respite with respite carers known to and trusted by the grandparents and grandchildren - weekend breaks, longer holidays, in-home care in case of emergency 6. access to counselling and other children's services such as speech therapy, psychological assessments, tutoring and assistance with school work for the grandchildren
- access to immediate and ongoing support and case management from child protection and early intervention agencies
- access to counselling for grandparents in their demanding role of caring for traumatised grandchildren
Recommendation #2
That Commonwealth and State Governments work together to ensure that grandparents raising grandchildren receive the same payments and support services as foster carers.
Centrelink
Grandparents say that any payments and financial assistance towards the upkeep of a child should go with the child, i.e. parenting payments should be made to the person caring for the child.
Centrelink staff should receive consistent, comprehensive training in all aspects of benefits available to grandparents and their eligibility requirements. Grandparents ask for reliable, easy to read information about Centrelink benefits for grandparents raising grandchildren to be made widely available and a 1800 telephone number to Centrelink call centres to deal with grandparents' issues.
Staff at local Centrelink offices should be encouraged to establish partnerships with community organisations such as grandparent support groups to disseminate information and promote understanding. For example, the Townsville Seniors Advisory Group has successfully established such a partnership with the Townsville Centrelink Office.
Recommendation #3
That Centrelink ensure grandparents obtain the benefits and assistance they are entitled to:
- Centrelink staff be fully trained in all aspects of benefits available to grandparents and their eligibility requirements.
- Centrelink produce and promote a booklet specifically for grandparents that includes information about Centrelink payments and other benefits, subsidies and services for which grandparents may be eligible.
Many grandchildren living with their grandparents suffer debilitating problems as a result of their early experiences. Grandparents believe that the criteria for disability allowances needs to be extended to include the severe emotional and psychological disability suffered by their grandchildren.
Recommendation #4
That the criteria for disability allowances be reviewed and extended to cover emotional and psychological disability.
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10.2 Respite
Grandparents desperately need free, reliable, quality respite options. These include:
- childcare that is readily accessible and not limited to 20 hours per week
- respite with people who are known to and trusted by both grandparents and grandchildren. This could be similar to the Interchange Program for children with a disability.
- respite centres where the grandchildren can enjoy activities while the grandparents take a break while still being on the same premises.
- Camps for both grandparents and grandchildren with activities together and separately
- In-home respite care to allow grandparents to go out while the grandchildren have the security of being at home
- Accessible after school care and holiday programs that addresses the particular needs of grandchildren being raised by grandparents
- Back-up in case of emergencies, especially in-home care
Recommendation #5
That a range of respite options be available to grandparents raising grandchildren, both expanding existing respite programs and funding new options through grandparent support groups and community service providers.
Recommendation #6
That community organisations such as Apex, Lions etc. be encouraged to assist grandparents and their grandchildren to participate in social and sporting activities.
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10.3 Information
The most called for change from grandparents is for information that is reliable, consistent, easily understood, readily available and widely promoted. They complain that there is no central access point for the information they need. The community organisations and government agencies they contact often give them conflicting advice, and even within the one organisation, different staff may give different advice. Grandparents suggest an office where everything could be sorted out together, a one-stop shop or 1800 telephone direct line for information on the range of issues - legal, financial, child protection and housing, as well as emotional support, provided by staff who are trained in and understand the issues involved. This could be provided through existing information services such as CareLink or the Seniors Information Services in each State, in the front of telephone books, etc.
Also suggested is an information booklet similar to the Mirabel Foundation resource book 'When the children arrive...'. It should be widely distributed through Centrelink, community agencies, schools, childcare centres and local councils, and publicized. It must contain reliable information, or advice about obtaining information, on Commonwealth and State programs including:
- Legal matters - Family Court responsibilities including residency / custody, shared responsibility and access, Children's Court responsibilities, legal aid eligibility and application process
- Financial issues - allowances, concessions, education and other subsidies, assistance with initial set-up costs / emergency aid
- Respite and childcare - allowances, eligibility for free / subsidised places, availability
- Services available for grandchildren - e.g. counselling, and other children's services, camps, out of school hours care
- Services available for grandparents - e.g. counselling, parenting support and training for carers of traumatised children
- Support groups - contact details
- Sources of advice and information about community resources
They believed teachers, doctors and police and those who work directly with the community and grandparents and grandchildren in particular should receive training to deal with grandparent issues. The general community needs to have a greater understanding about grandparent raising grandchildren, to help overcome the discrimination and isolation they and the children often experience.
Recommendation #7
That a community awareness campaign for grandparents raising grandchildren be developed and implemented, supported by reliable, accessible and consistent information about financial and legal issues and support services and available in a variety of formats - booklets, telephone information services, website, print media and community service announcements on radio and television.
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10.4 Legal issues
Legal issues, especially the perceived inequity regarding access to Legal Aid, were also raised by most grandparents. Grandparents say that the interests and needs of their grandchildren are paramount. They want grandparents to be specifically recognised in Family Law and State legislation as having rights and status in relation to the grandchildren in their care or for whom they have grave concerns.
Recommendation #8
That the status and rights of grandparents be recognised within Commonwealth Family Law and State legislation relating to the protection of children and young people, the Family Court, Children Courts and child protection authorities, particularly with regard to the grandparents' existing or potential role as the primary carer of their grandchildren.
Recommendation #9
That Commonwealth and State Governments ensure that independent complaints mechanisms or ombudsmen are available to oversee child protection authorities with the power to investigate complaints and that these are well publicised.
They seek automatic, non-means tested access to specialised legal aid for themselves, and more especially for their grandchildren. Indeed, they believe all children involved in the legal system should have an independent advocate or child representative paid for by Legal Aid, similar to the Magellan Project trailed in the Melbourne and Dandenong Family Court, which shows considerable savings when all parties including children have legal aid funded representation. [Brown 2003]
Recommendation #10
That Legal Aid be available to grandchildren and grandparents involved in Family Court matters:
- all children involved in the legal system have an independent advocate or children's legal representative paid for by Legal Aid
- the income and assets test for Legal Aid have the same eligibility criteria as the aged pension
Recommendation #11
That Legal Aid Officers and other legal practitioner be provided with accurate and comprehensible advice, including the legal rights of grandparents who have or are seeking custody of their grandchildren, and the eligibility criteria for Legal Aid.
Recommendation #12
That the issues of repeated non-attendance at hearings by recipients of Legal Aid be addressed.
Recommendation #13
That the legal situation of grandchildren following the death of a custodial grandparent be clarified, including the extent to which the grandparent(s) may provide for their safety and security.
Those grandparents who do not have formal custody arrangements need an easy way to establish entitlement to allowances. This would then also establish their right to obtain grandchildren's birth certificates, and Medicare and Health Care Cards. For example, agencies providing the Family Relationships Services Program could be contracted to assist grandparents to document and certify their status in relation to these children. They suggest that Medicare and Health Care cards should be issued in the name of the grandchild, and held by the carer.
Recommendation #14
That procedures be set up to establish the eligibility for assistance of those grandparents who are raising their grandchildren with the informal agreement of the parents and / or the child protection authorities and without a formal court order.
Recommendation #15
That the grandchildren be eligible for Health Care Cards in their own right and have this card and a Medicare Card issued in their own name to be held by the carer.
Recommodation #16
That the grandchildren be eligible for State education subsidies and allowances in their own right and that grandparents be informed of those subsidies and allowances.
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10.5 Parenting
Grandparents ask for practical support in their parenting of often traumatised grandchildren. They need ready access to immediate support from child protection, family support and early intervention agencies, as well as counselling for themselves in their demanding role, while coping with their own grief, loss and anger. There are some excellent programs for stress and anger management and emotional release courses, which could be extended to include grandparents raising grandchildren, but these must be concurrent with adequate ongoing support services.
Grandparents have the parenting experience of raising their own children but they may not have faced the type of emotional and psychological problems experienced by their grandchildren. Parenting education courses could be modified to focus on raising such children and offer strategies for meeting their special needs. Some grandparents have suggested that parenting courses should include advice on their grandchildren's sex education, since attitudes have changed so much.
Our grandchildren have often seen and heard too much and can have inappropriate and sexualized behaviour. We need help to deal with this, to protect our grandchildren. (Grandparent at workshop)
Recommendation #17
That parent education programs be developed to meet the specific needs of grandparents raising grandchildren.
Grandparents ask that access to and availability of the services be improved for these grandchildren who often require counselling, speech pathology and dental treatment, as well as for additional tutoring and assistance with school work.
They would also like to see more emphasis on assisting families before their problems are so serious that the children have to be removed. They also call for the teaching of life skills in all schools, including the responsibilities of having children and the implications of drug and alcohol use.
Most problems could well be alleviated with proper early intervention and support of grandparents and their protective concerns. (Grandparent couple 70 & 64, Grandchild 12)
Recommendation #18
That Commonwealth and State Governments and community service provider organisations develop coordinated early intervention and prevention programs for families at risk, to address children's well-being and safety within their family. These programs should be founded on evidence-based models and include adequate services for individual children and families, especially emotional and psychological services and therapies and promotion of effective information sharing, collaboration and understanding between families, agencies and professionals.
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10.6 Support groups
Grandparents have found support groups a great source of personal support and information. When they are part of a safe, supportive group, grandparents can develop their coping skills and build up their social and emotional well-being. Support groups help normalise their experiences and feelings and provide new social networks and connections to their local community. Members can share ideas and offer different perspectives on parenting and children's behaviour, which in the case of these grandchildren, can often be extreme, violent and exhausting.
Grandparents ask that Commonwealth and State Governments recognise the importance of grandparent support groups and assist with the establishment and ongoing running costs of such groups throughout Australia. Funds would be required at the local level to pay for group meetings, outings and social activities such as regular camps for grandparents and grandchildren and to enable community service agencies to provide the professional support and administration that is essential to prevent “burnout” amongst group members.
A national leadership training program for grandparent facilitators of the groups could be developed and implemented within each State and Territory. Support group leaders need to be trained and supported in their role in assisting group members to learn, accept and grow. Support group leaders need to have come to terms with their own situation so that they do not get caught up in other people's stories or use the support group as a vehicle for their own emotions.
Recommendation #19
That funding is made available in each State to assist grandparent support groups with resources, professional support, training of group leaders, running costs and State-wide coordination.
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10.7 Research
With so many grandparents raising their grandchildren because of parental drug use, grandparents see an urgent need for more research into the long term effects on the children. They worry whether their grandchildren are destined to follow the same path. They are concerned that the child protection system focuses on reuniting families and seems not to take account of the drug users' capacity to renounce that lifestyle, to benefit from for rehabilitation or to resume parental responsibilities.
Recommendation #20
That Government sponsor further research into the long term effects of parental drug and alcohol use on children's health and development, including:
- the effects on children of being raised by their grandparents, and
- the effects on the health and well being of grandparents
Recommendation #21
That, within the next two years, the Commonwealth Government sponsor a conference on issues relating to grandparents raising grandchildren.