Media Release:

19th December 2010

Caring for the Grandparents caring for children this Christmas

The Catholic Caring Foundation (CCF) urges communities to remember the many grandparents raising children this Christmas.

There are 12,000 ‘known grandparents’ in NZ raising their own grandchildren. Grandparents often report feeling isolated, failing health, struggling financially and living with a constant un-certainty about the custodial rights they have for the children in their care.

The Catholic Caring Foundation is asking neighbours, schools, community groups and Churches to give a helping hand to grandparents in their communities this Christmas.

Christmas can be a trying time for many families; for grandparents in particular, the support of the community is vital as they require extra help to feed, clothe and provide a safe, nurturing home for children in their care.

In the photo - Leanne Tiscornia CCF General Manager (left), Alison Cuthbert GRG Fieldworker (middle), Diane Vivian GRG National Convenor (right)

Leanne Tiscornia, General Manager of the Catholic Caring Foundation says “These are families that often go unnoticed and parenting that is often invisible within the legal and social structures of our society. We all need to show that we care and support such families not only at Christmas, but always. The reasons behind circumstances that lead to kin having to step in and care for their blood relatives are complex and should not be ignored.”

Children who are traumatised by family breakdown, abandonment or the loss of one parent or both parents through death or imprisonment, are likely to have also witnessed or are survivors of abuse and domestic violence.

Grandparents of varying ages (39-70+) are at times struggling to fulfil the caring role they have taken on and are grieving for their own children’s inability to parent. Alison Cuthbert, the Auckland based fieldworker for GRG sees that many grandparents and kin carers need to prioritise their own wellbeing as well as that of the children they are raising.

She encourages carers to practice tough love where needed. She says - “I say too many of the grandparents, they’ve been rejected, they’ve been dumped from here to there, along the way they finally get to you. Why should you be any different? So they’ll push you as hard as they can go. They’ve got to try and live with it and seek the help and support they need.”

In 2005 the GRG Charitable Trust published landmark research examining the struggles, financial and legal issues grandparents face in raising grandchildren. The study showed that caring for abused and traumatised children within the extended family are complex, but children who were raised by grandparents, can adapt well and thrive in the care of their extended family.

“These grandparents need support in raising their grandchildren, they have stopped potential child abuse and even more deaths by taking these children under their wing” says Diane Vivian, National Convenor of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ.

Whilst grandparents raising grandchildren are today, entitled to receive the same level of financial assistance as foster carers through the Unsupported Child Benefit; many grandparents remain uninformed of this entitlement. Even with this extra level of assistance many live in poverty, often going without, themselves so as to feed and clothe their grandchildren.

The Trust employs three field workers and has a number of volunteer regional local support workers (from Northland to Invercargill) working to ensure that all kin carers can access material support, clothing, furniture, as well as counselling and family support services. For information on the service available grandparents and kin-carers can ring 0800GRANDS (0800 472 637) or visit www.grg.org.nz

The Catholic Caring Foundation is the community funding agency of the NZ Catholic Church. It has donated $28,000 to the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Charitable Trust in the last 3 years. Donations from the public can now be made to the Foundations annual Christmas Appeal so that more funds may be available to support the Grandparents raising grandchildren, and many other such vital community services for the coming years.

ENDS

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