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Custodial Relationships Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:Results of a home‐based intervention study
Author(s) -
Yorker Beatrice,
Kelley Susan,
Whitley Deborah,
Lewis Andrew,
Magis Jennifer,
Bergeron Amy,
Napier Carol
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
juvenile and family court journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1755-6988
pISSN - 0161-7109
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-6988.1998.tb00778.x
Subject(s) - grandparent , legal guardian , kinship care , legislature , kinship , raising (metalworking) , general partnership , intervention (counseling) , population , psychology , nursing , medicine , foster care , political science , developmental psychology , environmental health , law , geometry , mathematics
The phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren has increased significantly over the past two decades. The literature documents that health, financial, and legal worries top the list of concerns for grandparents who raise grandchildren. The authors describe the results of a multidisciplinary study that provides home visitation with social, nursing, legal, and educational support to grandparents raising grandchildren in parent absent households. This article examines the custodial relationships of one hundred and sixty‐three children being raised in sixty‐eight families headed by grandparents in an urban population in the South. The data showed that of the 163 children, 70 were in the guardianship of their grandparents, 40 of the children had no legal relationship with their grandparents, 28 were in the custody of the State Department of Family and Children's Services, 21 were in the temporary custody of their grandparents, and four were adopted by their grandparents. Recommendations from this study include educating service providers and grandparents raising grandchildren regarding the potential financial benefits under Title IVE adoption assistance and supporting legislative reform to increase the stability of intergenerational kinship care. This project demonstrates an innovative approach of combining university‐based research with multidisciplinary education while providing cost‐effective support services through a partnership with the community.