Resources For Grandparents As Parents
I finally got my list of resources for grandparents raising grandchildren more focused. I had intended to do this for a while but like any one else there are always undone items at the end of the day and no more time to do them.
Raising a grandchild is challenging and time consuming and let’s face we do not function as quickly as we did a few years back. I hope these resources will save all of you, wonderful grandparents, some time. These parenting for grandparents resources are probably available elsewhere but they are scattered and it just takes a lot of time to find the one thing that can help. I have compiled a list that assembles all the resources I have found, if you know of other that I might have missed please put them in the comments to help other grandparents who might need that particular information.
I want to encourage you to read a book that I found extraordinary. Grandparents as Parents is a heartwrenching account of grandparents raising a second family. It is written by a social worker who founded a support group for grandparents in Toledo. It tell us of real case studies with stories we can relate to. This book answers many questions some of us have when we are faced with the confusion and desperation we often feel.
This book will also help you find resources for the child that you might never have known were available to you. It outlines ‘kinship benefits’ to help ease the burden of raising your child’s child when your income is no longer what it was. This is an absolute must read book for any grandparent raising a grandchild.
Now for the resources that I have been able to discover :
The first link will take you to an article that mentions the laws that recommend that whenever possible children should be placed with relatives. This is important as it was not always the case. If you find yourself in a legal battle for the safety or placement of a child Casa is a good place to start.
CASA (National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association)
2722 East Lake Avenue East
Suite 220
Seattle, WA 98102
800-628-3233
fax: 206-323-8137
AARP also have resources that are helpful for grandparents.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
AARP Grandparent Information Center
601 East E Street NW
Washington DC 20049
202-434-2296
Some of us are not actually raising grandchildren but have concerns because our grandchildren may be kept away from us. This organization spells out very clearly what our rights are.
Grandparents Rights Organization
555 S. Woodward, Suite 600
Birmingham, MI 48009
810-646-7191
You can also write to the following groups for information. I found these resources to be less useful to us as grandparents than they were to people with more general adoptions issues.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Lois M. Holloway-Day
P.O. Box 583
Pleasantville, NJ 08232
609-645-3061
Grandparents Reaching Out
Mildred Horn
141 Glensummer Road
Holbrook, NY 11741
516-472-9728
