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New York Study
Grandparents Face Obstacles in Raising Grandchildren
Nov. 16, 2004 – Grandparents are increasingly
raising grandchildren and a new study in New York shows they face a
multitude of barriers related to schooling, health, legal affairs, and
public assistance as they attempt to raise the children in their care.
This follows on the heels of another reports saying grandmothers who are
caregivers to grandchildren are more prone to stress and depressive
symptoms.
Among the most significant obstacles identified was
the lack of authority of these caregivers to make important day-to-day
decisions relating to the heath and education of the child. The new
statewide study was released today by AARP New York and the New York
State Kincare Coalition.
"Grandparents can serve as stabilizing figures for
children whose parents can no longer care for them," said Lois Aronstein,
state director of AARP New York. "It is crucial that they have access to
resources and the authorities necessary to best meet the needs of the
children living with them."
Grandparents are increasingly assuming
responsibility for the care of their grandchildren, often with the
support and agreement of the parents. New York State has over 143,000
grandparents who are responsible for caring for their grandchildren.
More than 409,000 children live in households headed by a grandparent or
other relative.
The study asked agencies providing services to kin
caregivers to identify critical barriers facing these caregivers and to
recommend strategies for ameliorating the barriers and improving access
to those systems.
More than two in five respondents identified
inadequate legal authority to make educational and medical decisions as
the greatest barriers in accessing medical and mental health services
for children in their care. Needed improvements cited by respondents
(eight in ten) included giving the kin caregivers statutory authority to
enroll children in school, make schooling decisions, and see school
records. Similarly, permitting caregivers to access health records and
make medical decisions were identified by almost eight in ten
respondents as changes that would have the greatest impact.
In June, the New York State Legislature passed a
bill, supported by AARP, that would grant kin caregivers the authority
to make certain decisions relating to educational or health related
issues.
The legislation, the "Caregiver Consent Bill,"
provides clear guidelines to specify how parents can give the authority
to caregivers and the limits to that authority. The bill is currently
awaiting approval by the Governor.
Other study highlights include:
TANF
-- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Child Only Grants are public benefits in the form of financial
assistance for children who are not being cared for by their parents.
These resources are typically underutilized. Two in five respondents
report that inadequate knowledge and training of staff working with
caregivers as well as inadequate financial assistance for caregivers are
critical barriers.
-- Training for social service workers to increase
their outreach to kin caregivers is greatly needed say four of five
respondents.
Legal and Judicial
-- Cost of legal services is considered by nearly
half of respondents as the greatest barrier keeping kin caregivers from
accessing legal and judicial systems for minors in their care.
-- More than nine in ten say that providing legal
representation to low-income caregivers would have the greatest effect
on increasing access. More than eight in ten suggest that training for
judges and court personnel on kin care issues would greatly reduce legal
and judicial barriers.
Child Welfare
-- Two in five report that inadequate program
knowledge and training on the needs of kin caregivers among Child
Welfare staff and program administrators is a significant barrier.
-- About one in three mentioned preference for
non-kin foster care rather than kin care among staff and
administrations, inadequate knowledge of kin caregivers about foster
care, and subsidized adoption as the greatest barriers.
-- More than eight in ten cited four key strategies
needed to expand access to Child Welfare systems: provide financial
subsidy to kinship guardians, provide legal assistance during custody
hearings for kin caregivers, provide written notice to all grandparents
when parents or the court system places or removes a grandchild from the
foster care system, and expand authority to place children with kin
caregivers pending certification as foster parents or independent legal
custodians or guardians.
The study was released at the New York State
Kincare Summit, hosted by AARP and the New York State Kincare Coalition
and funded by the New York Life Foundation. Meeting participants
addressed the results of the study and discussed new solutions to aid
caregivers. The full study can be viewed at
http://www.aarp.org/research.
AARP has over 2.5 million members in New York
State. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization
dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over. AARP provides
information and resources; engages in legislative, regulatory and legal
advocacy; assists members in serving their communities; and offer a wide
range of unique benefits, special products, and services for its
members. These include AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP
Bulletin, a monthly newspaper; Segunda Juventud, a quarterly newspaper
in Spanish; Live and Learn, a quarterly newsletter for National Retired
Teachers Association members; and the Web site,
http://www.aarp.org.
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