African-American: grandparents Revisiting Parenthood

1. African-American: grandparents Revisiting Parenthood Eric Bensi ETHS 2410 Social Issue Research Fall 2013

2. Trends • Increase in the number of grandchildren being cared for by their grandparents. • 1997 : 4.6 million households with grandparents and grandchildren co-residing. • 2000 : 5.8 million households with grandparents and grandchildren co-residing. • 2.4 million of these households were headed by the grandparent. • 52% of the grandparent-headed households occurred amongst African-Americans.

3. Issues • Custodial grandparents often experience a decline in physical and psychological health. • Many already suffer from chronic health issues. • Documented increase in depression. • Limited or no access to healthcare professionals. • High percentages of these households living at or below poverty levels. • Lack of skills involving parenting in modern society and current technologies.

4. Issues Cont. • Feelings of social isolation. • Degradation of peer relationships and removal from social events. • Preexisting unmet physical , developmental, behavioral and emotional issues with children being cared for.

5. Brainstorm Ideas for Intervention • Provide useful information and access to community resources. • Educational materials and connections to healthcare services and social work organizations. • In-home visits to assess each family’s situation. • Bring services and helping professionals to the home. • Design plans of action. • Establish a permanent resource center. • Provide a location for “one-stop shopping” of the services and information to assist grandparents. • Develop mutual-aid support groups and training programs.

6. Supporting Reasons For Change • “Project Healthy Grandparents” developed at Georgia State University. • Extremely successful strengths-based program offering monthly meetings and in-home visits to address the needs of custodial grandparent. • Offers transportation to and from meetings as well as on-site childcare. • Has served 500 families and over 1,200 children. • Program has been replicated by several other universities.

7. Strategy • Important to take a strengths-based approach to assisting grandparents in a caretaker role. • Empowering the grandparents to ensure long-term success rates. • Offer in-home visitations that include helping professionals. • Free-time is often limited . Services need to be delivered to those in need. • Offer a meeting place to conduct group meetings and distribute educational information and provide connections to various services. • Must be convenient. Offer transportation and childcare.

8. Cost • Monthly facility rent • $700/month • Transportation • 30 passenger mini bus • $350 for 3 hours • Educational Materials • Notebooks and handouts • Approximately $200 • Helping Professionals • Preferably voluntary • Home Visits Transportation • Gas : $50/week

9. Resistance • Reluctance of clients to allow visits at home. • Measures must be taken to respect the privacy of the clients and to allow them to participate equally in planning of visitation services. • Distrust of helping professionals. • Employing members of the community can help build a level of trust. • Healthcare professionals and other specialists refusal to provide services voluntarily. • If such resistance occurs, compensation might be necessary.

10. Community Involvement • Interested Organizations • Child Welfare Services • Department of Health • Local Government • Community Churches • Boys and Girls Clubs • Local School Boards

11. Conclusion • The children are the future leaders of our society and they deserve all the help that is available to ensure a successful transition to adulthood. • Many households for one reason or another rely on grandparents to raise these children. Often this new role can have adverse affects on their mental and physical health. • It is important that the well-being of custodial grandparents is attended to. It is necessary to offer free or discounted services, education and emotional support that are conveniently available. • Acknowledging the strengths of these grandparents can empower them to live a healthier life and provide the support and guidance for the grandchildren they care for.