1. GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN CONTEMPORARY LIFE IN GRANDPARENT HEADED FAMILIES Nancy Kropf, PhD, MSW Georgia State University

2. What is Kinship Care?  Kinship care is commonly defined as “the full-time care, nurturing, and protection of a child by relatives, members of their Tribe or clan, godparents, stepparents, or other adults who have a family relationship to a child.” Source: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/ab out/definitions/ https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/ab out/definitions/  Kinship may be formal or informal  See more here: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/ https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/

3. Formal vs. Informal Kinship Care  Formal Kinship is the placement of children with relatives by the state; the kin have physical custody, but the state child welfare agency retains legal custody of the child.  Informal Kinship are arrangements made by parents and other family without ongoing involvement from either the child welfare system or juvenile court system.  The kin caregivers in this situation may have trouble enrolling children in school, obtaining health insurance, etc. unless they have legal custody  Read more here: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/f_kinshi.pdf https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/f_kinshi.pdf

4. Legal Issues  Formal Care Arrangement  Grandparents are foster parents or adopted child  If foster parents, state still retains custody  May receive lower foster care payment than non-kin caregivers  Informal Care Arrangement  Parents of children retain legal rights  Grandparents have limited decision- making such as medical consent  Limited financial benefits (TANF)

5. Reasons for Informal Care  Only 29% of grandchildren in grandparent custody receive foster care or child only payments (Van Etten, & Gautam, 2012)  Why?  Stigma  Mistrust of formal systems and foster parent role  Belief that children will be taken from their care  Reluctance to “give up” on the child’s parents  Enter care role at time of crisis

6. Profile of Custodial Grandparents  Under age 60 - 67%  Race/Ethnicity  White/not Hispanic - 51%  African American - 22%  Hispanic/Latino - 20%  Asian - 3%  Gender (female) - 62%  Married - 66%  Caregiver 5+ years - 36% CharacteristicsContexts  Poverty level -19%  Labor force participation - 56 %  Geographic region  South - 42%  Other - 58%  Urban/rural  Non-SMA (rural) - 26%  SMA (urban) - 74% Source: Pew Research Center: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/09/04/at-grandmothers-house-we-stay/http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/09/04/at-grandmothers-house-we-stay/ GrandFacts: http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/relationships/friends-family/grandfacts/grandfacts-national.pdfhttp://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/relationships/friends-family/grandfacts/grandfacts-national.pdf Grandfamilies Statistics: http://www2.gu.org/OURWORK/Grandfamilies/GrandfamiliesStatistics.aspxhttp://www2.gu.org/OURWORK/Grandfamilies/GrandfamiliesStatistics.aspx

7. Who are the Grandparents?  Historical trends  “Off time” caregiving and “skipped generation” households  7.7 million children in the United States, or1 in 10, were living with a grandparent in 2011  Of those children, approximately 3 million were cared for primarily by a grandparent  Disproportionate impact on African Americans Source: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/09/04/at- grandmothers-house-we-stay/

8. Understanding Cultural Issues: Latino Families  Language barriers  Immigration status and access to services  Cultural issues across generations  Grandchildren more “Americanized”  Grandparents’ lack of familiarity with US systems and customs (e.g., school, child welfare) (Pew Research Center, 2013)  Associated risks of low education level, poverty, and poor health status of grandparents

9. Understanding Cultural Issues: African American Families  Historical experience of being “kinkeepers” and extended families (Gibson, 2002)  Disproportionately represented in custodial grandparents (Kropf & Yoon, 2006)  Experience with service sections  Fear of having grandchildren taken by child welfare (Goodman & Silverstein, 2002)  May have limited involvement with educational system (Sands & Goldberg-Glen, 2000; Whitley, Kelley, and Sipe, 2001)

10. Understanding Cultural Issues : Native American Families  Role of elder in Native as transmitter of native culture to younger generations  Importance of transmitting culture, values, and traditions to grandchildren (Henderson, Dinh, Morgan, & Lewis, 2015)  High levels of poverty  High levels of substance use – implications for raising grandchildren with FAS, behavior issues  Need for legal assistance with custodial issues (Kopera- Frye, 2009)

11. Percentages of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren across U.S.* * http://www.censusscope.org

12. Reasons for Grandparent Caregiving Substance abuse – crack and meth Incarceration HIV/AIDS Child abuse and/or neglect Abandonment Divorce Death Teenage motherhood Unemployment/employment out of area/military Mental illness Homelessness Poverty

13. Pathways Into Care * *Kropf, N. P. & Robinson, M. M. (2004). Pathways into caregiving for rural custodial grandparents. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 2(1), 63-77. Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren Co-Residential Pathway Incremental Pathway Immediate Pathway

14. Co-Residential Pathway  Reasons:  New Opportunities  Family Conflict  Child Stability  Consequences:  Role Confusion  Re-Establishing Family Norms  Negotiating Parent/Child Interactions Definition – When grandparents and grandchildren reside in a multigenerational household with the parent(s) present. Due to circumstances, the parent(s) leaves and the child stays.

15. Incremental Pathway Reasons:  Inadequacies  Child Betterment  Consequences:  Complex Decision- Making  Divided Loyalties  Co-residential Transition Issues Definition – When grandparents have been making increasing steps to provide care for grandchildren. Starts out with some level of caregiving, and emerges into a primary care situation.

16. Immediate Pathway  Reasons:  Abandonment  Violence  Consequences:  Multiple Family Crises  Grief, Loss, Anger  No Preparation Definition – When there is a sudden need for grandparents to assume the care of grandchildren. Often, there is little preparation for the role and few resources are in place to assume care.

17. Stresses of Caregiving  Economic  Costs of care  Opportunity costs  Physical  Health conditions  Self-care strategies  Emotional  Depression and isolation  Loyalty binds  Loss and grief  Read more here: http://www.aamft.org/imis15/AAMFT/Content/Consumer_Updates/Gr andparents_Raising_Grandchildren.aspx http://www.aamft.org/imis15/AAMFT/Content/Consumer_Updates/Gr andparents_Raising_Grandchildren.aspx

18. Rewards of Caregiving  Another Chance – being able to raise grandchildren with “better outcomes”  Kin-keeping – transmission of family, culture, heritage to grandchildren. Keep children in their family.  Avoiding foster care – fear of the formal foster care system and outcomes for grandchildren  Valued social role- caregiving viewed as an important role for their family

19. Family Dynamics  “Revolving Door Syndrome”  Role confusion  Re-abandonment Issues  Relationship to other family members  Impact on marriage/partnership  Other grandchildren

20. Policy Responses  Increase resources to kinship caregivers who are in informal roles  Case management, financial support, respite  Decision-making for grandchild well-being  Institute free navigator services (exist in some places) to help grandparents with decision-making and access to services  Raise awareness of grandparents in service sections – health, mental health, aging  Provide Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and other payments to caregiving families who raise children informally  Read more about financial assistance here: http://www.raisingyourgrandchildren.com/Financial_Assistance.htm http://www.raisingyourgrandchildren.com/Financial_Assistance.htm