University of Wisconsin - Extension

¿Grandparents have always served as a safety net for families, stepping in to help in a crisis,¿ says Mary Brintnall-Peterson, Family Living program specialist in aging. ¿More and more grandparents are being called on to parent their grandchildren, often due to troubles in the parent¿s lives.¿

Extension partnerships provide help

The 2000 census shows that 89,208 Wisconsin children are living in households headed by a grandparent, other relative or nonrelative. In Wisconsin, 23,687 grandparents are caring for their grandchildren. To meet their needs, UW Cooperative Extension Family Living Programs cooperated with Grandparents United for Children¿s Rights, Inc., and the Wisconsin Bureau of Aging and Long Term Care Resources to form the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) Partnership of Wisconsin.

Online resource guide available

The partnership developed the GRAND (Grandparents/Relatives Raising and Nurturing Dependent Children) online resource guide in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. GRAND lists state and local resources and is designed to be adapted for each county. It is located at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/grandparent/grand.html.

Conferences bring together grandparents and professionals

National satellite conferences were held in 1999 and 2001 to explore kinship care issues. Each videoconference attracted more than 3,000 participants and evaluations were positive. Increased awareness among professionals, a recognized need for support groups, and more grandparents seeking legal relationships with their grandchildren were all attributed as results of the conferences. One participant was prompted to get a second legal opinion about adopting her granddaughter. The adoption was final last year, and she wanted others to know, ¿There is someone, somewhere to turn to and vent your many frustrations.¿

Support groups build understanding

The conference sparked positive action in counties throughout the state. Vilas County organized a GRG gathering to gain input on resources and programs. A Grandparent Support Network in Winnebago County has 14 member agencies and support groups steadily growing in attendance. A Waukesha County group developed a directory of opportunities for seniors and youth. The support group in Menomonie County includes extended family members and works with Head Start on ¿culture nights,¿ where grandparents share aspects of Native American culture as a way of building relationships with their grandchildren.

In a partnership with UW-Green Bay, a community needs assessment was developed as a School of Social Work project. It was implemented in Brown County, giving students practical involvement and preparing for a potential statewide survey. It will be piloted again in Winnebago County this year.

Grandparents enjoy their role

A research partnership with UW-Milwaukee focused on grandparents raising grandchildren in Milwaukee County. In addition to three surveys, focus groups were conducted with Hispanic and African American grandparents. The research shows that grandparents enjoy the role of grandparenting regardless of their situation and benefit from relationships with their grandchildren. Grandparents need information to help them succeed. Their spiritual relationships and a network of family and friends are important sources of support.

For more information:

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Partnership of Wisconsin,

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/grgp

Grandparenting Today, http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/grandparent/