Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Grandfather and granddaughter together at a family fun event.

Program Manager: Sarah Amspaugh

Grandparent Support Specialist: Joyce Parton

Program: Murray and Whitfield Counties reflect the state and the nation in the large numbers of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Often, grandparents assume this obligation when the grandchildren's own parents abandon them or when the children can no longer live with them because of the parent's mental disorder, substance abuse, death or incarceration.

Consequently, the grandparent has the added burden of caring for children who suffered from abuse or neglect by their parents. Many of the grandparents are likely to be in poor health and under a financial strain, in comparison with non-relative caregivers. The overall poverty rate for children living in a grandparent's home is 27 percent; for children living in their parents' home, it is 19 percent. These grandparents generally receive few economic supports and are often unaware of community resources available to them.

They are in need of services which will improve family functioning and strengthen the grandparent’s ability to provide safe, long-term, care for their grandchild, thereby reducing the risk of the child entering the foster care system. This program provides monthly support group meetings, quarterly special events, developmental assessments for grandchildren ages 0-5, home-based Nurturing classes, and individual tutoring for the grandchildren who are struggling academically. We provide transportation assistance, health awareness and advocate for families to help meet their needs.

Program Funding:  The program currently receives funding from the Department of Human Resources – Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program (PSSF) and United Way of Northwest Georgia.

Program Statistics:
In 2020, the following services were provided to 175 custodial grandparents and the 213 grandchildren in their care:

• 83 grandparents attended monthly support group meetings
• 35 developmental screens were administered to children ages 0-5
• 190 one-hour tutoring sessions were provided by certified teachers to 20 grandchildren
• 350 individual Nurturing training sessions were provided to 29 families
• 175 grandparents and grandchildren attended quarterly special events
• 28 grandparents attended healthcare informational sessions, which were provided on a bi- monthly basis
• 175 grandparents were linked with community resources