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Grandparent Caregivers

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Largely due to the opioid pandemic, parent relatives often become the primary caregivers for children. While these compositions look difference in each family, grandparents are frequently chosen as the primary caregivers when parents unwilling or unable to care for their children. In 2022, it was estimated that 51,548 grandparents in Indiana were responsible for their grandchildren. While many caregivers operate inside the foster care system, caregivers not in the ‘system’ are much more common and lack access to the same support and resources. For every one child being raised by kin inside the foster care system, there are nine being raised by kin outside of the system.

TAKING ACTION

Local

Collaborate with local stakeholders to create messaging that informs grandparent caregivers of what resources are available to them (Kinship Navigators, local support groups, and non-profits)

State

Introduce financial assistance programs or verified kinship caregivers outside of the foster care system (tax credits, stipends, Medicaid reimbursements, etc.)

Federal

Develop and adopt uniform definitions for relative caregivers and include questions on federal forms and national surveys to identify relative caregivers.

Click the arrow below to discover Promising Practices!

Promising Practices are programs or policies that have shown early signs of measurable success following implementation. Highlighting these programs is part of IYI’s commitment to bring high-quality practice models and provide resources to youth workers and leaders in the state. The Promising Practices highlighted within “Data in Action” include accompanying evidence that demonstrates either proof of concept or shows successful replication.

Promising Practice

Parenting a Second Time Around

Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA) is a curriculum that is designed to provide skills and resources to relative caregivers who are not biological caregivers of children in their care. PASTA consists of sessions that equip grandparents and other relative caregivers to be knowledgable on topics such as child development, discipline, caring for oneself, rebuilding a family, and legal issues. PASTA, and other programs like it, are often executed by local extension offices such as Montana State University Extension.

 

To learn more about PASTA, click HERE