Grandparents Plus

Grandparents Plus is a national charity for England and Wales that supports and campaigns on behalf of the 200,000 grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and other relatives who are raising children in Britain today because their parents cannot look after them. ^[1] This is often because of very difficult family circumstances, including parental death, disability, serious illness, drug or alcohol abuse, imprisonment or domestic violence. Relatives who are raising children from within the wider family are known as kinship carers. The charity is funded by The Big Lottery to provide advice, information and a peer support network for kinship carers. It publishes research and campaigns for improved support and recognition, both for kinship carers and for the 7 million grandparents in the UK who provide childcare, arguing that both groups are undervalued economically ^{[2] [3]}

History

The organisation was co-founded in 2001 by Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington and the charity’s Co-Chair, Jean Stogdon OBE, a social services manager and Guardian Ad Litem. ^[4] It is based in The Young Foundation, Bethnal Green, London. The Chief Executive is Sam Smethers. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

External links

Grandparents Plus website

Reports

• "Grandparenting in Europe: Family Policy and Grandparents’ Role in Providing Childcare", March 2013 showed that British grandparents are almost twice as likely to be in paid work as their European counterparts and 6 in 10 are providing childcare for grandchildren. The report warns of a ‘care gap crisis’ unless action is taken. ^{[11] [12]}
• "Giving Up The Day Job", June 2012 showed that 47% of kinship carers who were previously working gave up their jobs when the children moved in ^{[13] [14] [15] [16]}
• "Doing It All? Grandparents, Childcare and Employment: Analysis of British Social Attitudes Survey Data from 1998 and 2009" December 2011 showed that 63% of grandparents with grandchildren under 16 are providing childcare, with half (50%) of mothers relying on grandparents to look after their babies when they return from maternity leave.
• "Too Old To Care"
• "What If We Said No?", Oct 2010 showed that 47% of kinship carers say the reason for taking on the care of a child is parental drug or alcohol abuse. ^[17]
• "Grandparenting in Europe", June 2010 showed that one in three working mothers depends on grandparents for childcare. ^[18]
• "Protect, support, provide – examining the role of grandparents in families at risk of poverty", March 2010 ^[19]
• "Recognition, respect, reward", October 2009

References

1. buttleuk, Spotlight on Kinship Care, University of Bristol, Nandy & Selwyn pg 7 retrieved 25/5/2013 2001 Census analysis ref indicates that there were 173,200 children living with relatives.
2. "Grandparents who become full-time carers plead: ‘We can’t do it all for love’, Yvonne Roberts, The Observer, 21 Oct 2012, retrieved 25/5/2013.
3. "Childcare: the grandparents’ army", Jenny Uglow, The Guardian, 16 Nov 2012, retrieved 25/5/2013
4. "Home Help: Michael Young and Jean Stogdon explain why they have launched a new group for grandparents", The Guardian, 18 Jan 2001, retrieved 25/5/2013
5. "Grandma has a right to be paid", Sam Smethers, The Guardian 16 May 2010, retrieved 25/5/2013
6. "There’s No One Quite Like Grandma", Sam Smethers, The Guardian, 10 Feb 2009, retrieved 25/5/2013
7. "Queen’s Speech: campaigners and politicians respond", BBC News Politics, 9 May 2012, retrieved 25/5/2013
8. "The UK economy would grind to a halt if grandparents went on strike", Sam Smethers, The Guardian, 6 October 2010 retrieved 25/5/2013
9. "Woman’s hour: grandparents' rights", Katherine Rake from the Family and Parenting Institute and Sam Smethers from Grandparents Plus discuss if grandparents need a more official role, BBC Radio Four, 11 Jan 2009, retrieved 25/5/2013
10. Woman’s hour: grandparent carers" – Sam Smethers discusses with MP Dawn Primarolo and Jenni Murray why more than a third of grandparent carers are living below the poverty line; BBC Radio Four, 28 Oct 2009, retrieved 25/5/2013
11. "Care for young and old under one roof – it’s what families do", Judith Woods, The Telegraph, 25 May 2013, retrieved 25/5/2013
12. "Mothers who rely on their own parents for childcare face squeeze after thousands go back to work", Steve Doughty, Daily Mail, 15 March 2013, retrieved 25/5/2013
13. "60,000 Grandparents forced to give up work to bring up grandchildren", The Telegraph, 12 June 2012, retrieved 25/5/2013
14. "Grandparents losing out when they take on care of children", ITV Wales, 12 June 2012, retrieved 25/5/2013
15. "Mother & prison: thousands of children being brought up by their grandparents",Paul Vallely & Sarah Cassidy, The Independent, 19 Sept 2012, retrieved 25/5/2013
16. "Benefit Support for Kinship Carers and Foster Carers", Community Care, 22 June 2012,retrieved 25/5/2013
17. "We look after the grandkids as our children aren’t capable", Nikki Watkins, The Sun, 4 Feb 2011, retrieved 25/5/2013
18. "Meet Today’s Truly Great Grandparents", Sally Williams, The Telegraph, 13 June 2010, retrieved 25/5/2013
19. "Grandparents carers risk financial hardship",BBC News Channel, 3 March 2010, retrieved 25/5/2013