The Demands Of Second Parenthood

The number of grandparents caring for their grandchildren has been soaring for more than a decade, but the trend has largely remained off the political radar screen. That may be changing. Several states have taken steps to assist grandparents who find themselves once again responsible for a young family.

"It's still an under-recognized problem," says Susan J. Kelley, director of the National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren at Georgia State University in Atlanta. "But thanks to organizations like Generations United, AARP and our group, there's a growing awareness of the situation."

The U.S. Census Bureau finds 8 percent—or 5.5 million—children living in households headed by grandparents. More than 2.3 million grandparents were the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of children in grandparent-headed households increased by 30 percent. Substance abuse and increased incarceration rates for women are among the causes driving the trend.

Grandparents raising grandchildren often struggle to balance their own needs with the unexpected demands of a "second" family. But states have been slow to provide aid outside the traditional foster care system. "There are some legislators who think, 'Why should we pay people to raise their own family?' " says Kelley.

That attitude seems to be shifting. Georgia, for example, now provides assistance to grandparents, if the child has ever been in the foster-care program. California is another state that has taken steps to expand subsidies and rights to relatives who find themselves in a caregiver role. Ohio and New Jersey have developed systems to prevent children being raised by relatives from being channeled unnecessarily into the child welfare system. These "kinship navigator" systems connect "kinship care families" with services such as transportation, child care and health assistance.

Several states are working with universities and other institutions to provide support networks for grandparents raising families.

Although much of the aid is lagging as "something between nothing and what you'd get as a foster-care parent," Kelley says, "lawmakers are starting to realize it is much more cost-effective to keep these children in informal kinship care. And it's usually better for the children, too."

Additional Related Links:

The Demands of Second Parenthood

Grandfamily Housing

Q&A with Liz McGuire

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (NOTE: Check Dates -- Link shows article Nov.'05/Linked article shows Feb.'06.)

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