Australia – DOCS to strip grandparents of payments for childcare
Hundreds of people who look after their grandchildren full-time risk losing a special payment worth between $400 and $600 per child a fortnight after the NSW Department of Community Services announced a review.
Teens Fashion a Wardrobe for Grandparents’ Kids | Womens eNews
Grandparents who have custody of the kids often struggle to make ends meet on a fixed income. To help out, two teens in Cleveland have created a fashion-minded thrift boutique in an old car barn, with personalized shoppers, where all the clothes are free.
Nearly 25% of Phila. foster children live with kin | Philadelphia Inquirer
A new statewide child-welfare report shows a mixed picture in the region – including the encouraging finding that the percentage of Philadelphia children in foster care who live in the homes of relatives is higher than the state average.
Grandparents help keep kids in the family | Cathy Ashley | guardian.co.uk
I recently spoke to a woman who had begun looking after her granddaughter full time nine years ago. The child’s mother had severe mental health problems and could no longer cope. Her father also suffered from mental health problems and was in prison. Nine years on, this grandmother is retired, her granddaughter is 10 years old and it’s a real struggle financially. Yet she is receiving no specific financial or practical support to raise this young girl.
When Grandma becomes Mom: Challenges are steep | Family | Wichita Eagle
More and more grandparents are raising grandchildren, an encore performance requiring stamina, patience and financial resources that test the promise of the golden years. In 1970, about 3 percent of all children under 18 lived in households headed by a grandparent; by 2007, 6.5 percent – 4.7 million kids – were doing so, according to the Census Bureau. In Florida, the share is larger: 7.1 percent, or nearly 260,000 children.
Hundreds Of Family Carers Turning To Helpline
Almost one in 10 of the calls to a parenting helpline in Scotland are now from grandparents and other relatives looking after children whose parents are unable to care for them.