Grandparents caring for grandchildren struggle to make ends meet
Many grandparents are struggling to make ends meet as they care for vulnerable grandchildren, new research shows.
Commissioned by the support group Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust, a survey of 1300 children shows almost half were removed from their parents owing to drug addiction.
Most children came into grandparent care as a result of one or more of six factors: parental drug addiction (45 per cent), domestic violence (42 per cent), family breakdown (41 per cent), neglect (41 per cent), parent unable to cope (40 per cent) and/or alcohol abuse (26 per cent).
Other reasons included parental illness, death, imprisonment, and child abuse.
Some families said they were able to provide good resources for their grandchildren while others struggled to cope despite being entitled to the Unsupported Child Benefit.
"The cost of the grandchildren weighs heavily on most of the participants with two-thirds of these families in deprivation deciles 7-10, on or below the poverty line.
"The children have a lot of needs and most do not see their parents regularly for various reasons. They have a range of physical illnesses and psychological problems."
Lead researcher Liz Gordon told Radio NZ: "There's a health crisis element, there's an income crisis element and I think the third element is many of these children are really, really damaged."
Ministry of Social Development national commissioner Penny Rounthwaite said the government department was "committed to treating everyone fairly, and with respect", and wanted to hear from anyone who felt they had been let down.
Rounthwaite said MSD had an obligation to carry out eligibility checks for benefits but was taking steps to improve the process, and would meet with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren next week to discuss their concerns.
Child Youth and Family operations general manager Greg Versalko said CYF appreciated the responsibility that grandparents took on in caring for their children, and wanted to support them.
"We would always encourage people to come back to us should they have any need of support or advice as we know that permanent caregivers need support from time to time."
What the grandparents say:
- "It changed the whole pattern and lifestyle. Now had to take up all the responsibilities of a parent. We are great grandparents."
- "I stepped down from being a principal."
- “Our moko have significant issues where they need an adult at home 24/7. One has an intellectual disability and the other attends kura but is ADHD behaviour and possibly bipolar."
- "I wouldn't swap it for the world. It might be a hard road but to know my four grandchildren and three great grandchildren did not get separate living conditions has made it worthwhile. Being able to come into a whanau that they knew made the transition a lot less stressful on the children."
- "I used to work two hours per night seven nights a week on top of my 40 hours a week however since having my grandson I have given the night job up due to no childcare available."
- "We're unable to afford to do things with the boys outside of the home."
- "We had to purchase new furniture for her, clothes etc and pay large legal bills which have seriously drained our resources. We cannot deny her anything and go without ourselves in order to do that."
- "When I applied for UCB [Unsupported Child Benefit] I got together all my paper work and parenting court orders. I waited for a reply and got a phone call to say I was not entitled to the benefit for the children. I had to write to [Government Minister] Paula Bennett so I could receive it. My case manager was so embarrassed that I had been turned down. The staff can be very rude and make you feel like you are bludging off them when it's government money and not their own."
- "CYF [Child, Youth and Family] could not wash their hands of us quickly enough. No support whatsoever once they had written the report that convinced the Family Court to allocate the children to my care."
- "CYF was supposed to be there during her childhood but wasn't."
- "His mother was killed in a motor accident and nobody wanted him."
First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.