Transcript Deborah M. Whitley, Ph.D., MPH National Center on

Deborah M. Whitley, Ph.D., MPH
National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA
Together We Can Conference
Lafayette, LA
October 6, 2010
 Grandparent Characteristics
 Grandchildren Characteristics
 2.6 million GP primary caregivers for
GC
 2.7 million GC under primary care
of grandparent
 33% are 60 years or over
 35.2% no parents present
 35.8% are racial minorities
 44.7% are racial minorities
 25% have a disability
 45.4% are < 6 years of age
 18.8% live below poverty level
 42.8% live in HH receiving public
assistance
 61.1% are in labor force
Source: 2008 American Community Survey, U.S. Census
Bureau
 6.3% have a disability (GC ages 517)
Parental
 Mental Illness
 Drug or alcohol addiction
 Incarceration
 Teen-age pregnancies
 Neglect and Abuse
 Physical illness (cancer, HIV-AIDS)
 Death

Limited support networks

Social Isolation

Inadequate financial resources

Lack of legal relationship w/ GC

Limited access to health care
for themselves and GC

Stress related to grandchild
behavior

Feelings of
abandonment

Parental role confusion

Social isolation

Academic problems

Problem behaviors
Background

1995 Project Healthy Grandparents (PHG)

1998 PHG Replication
 University of Georgia, Athens, GA
 Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
 University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
 Winston-Salem State University,
Winston-Salem, NC

2000 Early Intervention Support Service
2001 National Center on Grandparents
Raising Grandchildren

PROJECT HEALTHY GRANDPARENTS
Empowerment
“… the process of increasing
personal, interpersonal, or
political power so that
individuals, families and
communities can take
action to improve their
situation.”
(L. Gutierrez, 1994, pg. 202)
Program Goal
“To enhance the physical and
emotional well-being of
intergenerational families
through interdisciplinary
services”
Case management services are
provided to families for one
year at no cost; other services
are ongoing.

Total Participants:
Grandparents served: 703
Grandchildren served: 1,583

Race: African American (99%)

Average age of grandparents: 54 years;
(Range: 33-77 years)

Average number of grandchildren per family:
2.5; (Range 1- 8)

Types of legal relationship with grandchildren (Intake)
Custody
68%
Guardianship
24%
Adoption
8%

Primary reasons for raising grandchildren:
Abandonment/neglect
Child abuse
Parental incarceration
Mental health problems
Substance abuse
Parental death

Social work & nursing case management
› Individualized support
› Acknowledge personal strengths
› Home-based option

Support group meetings
› Emphasize problem solving skills
› Mutual aid and self-help
› Provides setting for practicing new
behaviors

Parenting classes
Learn new parenting skills
Introduce new community resources
Emphasize positive functioning
within family systems

Legal referrals
Facilitate development of legal
relationships with grandchildren
Establish permanency planning

Other services/activities
Early Intervention Services
Transportation
Material Aid
Clothing
School Supplies
Furniture
Toys

Reduction in psychological
distress symptoms

Improved perception of social
support

Improved perception of
family/community resources

Improved sense of
empowerment
In 2006, Georgia established a
“One System of Care” for
grandparent-headed families.
Collaboration among multiple
state units (aging, child welfare,
mental health, public health and
child support) to facilitate access
to public services.
Division of Aging Services
Kinship Care Navigator Program
Older persons (preferably grandparents) are trained
and hired to serve as mentors to other grandparents
who visit state child welfare and public welfare
offices. These older persons are “navigators” to help
grandparents navigate the public system.
MULTIPLE POINTS OF ENTRY INTO ONE SYSTEM OF CARE
Point Of Entry
Identification of Needs
Office of Child
Support Services
(OCSS)
Referral Agencies
OCSS
Child Support
Medical Support
GRANDPARENT
Division of Family
and
Children Services
(DFCS)
DFCS
TANF
Food Stamps
Child Care
Energy Assistance
and more
GRANDPARENT
Division of
Aging Services
(DAS)
DAS
Kinship Care
Support Groups
Legal Advice
and more
GRANDPARENT
Division of
Division of
Mental Health
Mental Health
(DMH)
(DMHDDAD)
GRANDPARENT
Division of
Public Health
Division of
(DPH)
Public Health
(DPH)
GRANDPARENT
Division of Family & Children Services
Emergency/Crisis and Intervention – funds to
cover utilities, moving expenses, furniture, etc.
Monthly subsidy payments - $50/child/month
serving 38,000 grandchildren
Child care waivers – eliminates job training/work
requirements for grandparents 60+ years for child
care and after school benefits
Office of Child Support
Established process to re-direct
child support payments to
custodial grandparents
$95,000 of child support
payments were redirected to
5,900 custodial grandparents
between 2006-2009
Division of Aging Services
Kinship Care Services provided in all 12 AAA
regions in Georgia:

Information & Assistance

Support groups

Community/public education

Collaboration with other organizations

Summer camp program (respite care)

Tutoring

Training

Material Aid
Kinship Care Legal Services

Division of Aging Services contracted with the Atlanta
Legal Aid Society & Georgia Legal Services Program

Provided legal advice and representation regarding:
 adoption
 custody
 guardianship
 housing & public benefits
 special education needs of children

Kinship Legal Service Outcomes since 2006:

Screened Kinship Care Hotline Calls~ 2,673

Custody of grandchildren~ 435

Guardianship of grandchildren- 593

Adopted grandchildren~188

Pro-bono cases- 361
Kinship Care Work Team
Comprised of interested parties from
public and private sectors to:

Foster a positive image of kinship
caregivers

Promote awareness of kinship issues
and programs to public welfare staff

Identify barriers to public resources,
and potential resolutions
Fostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
 Designed to promote safety, permanency, and wellbeing among foster children, for example:
 Subsidized guardianship
 Kinship navigator programs
 Relative notification
 Adoptions Incentives Program

Health care reform provisions to benefit “Grandfamilies”:
 Prohibits pre-existing condition exclusions in insurance plans
for all children (2010)
 Expands Medicaid to 133% of FPL (2014)
 Extends funding for CHIPS to 2015
 Establishes Medicaid coverage for foster children under age
26 years (2014)
Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Focus on Health Reform: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Provisions in the
New Health Care Reform Law

Reduction in amount Medicare, Part D (“donut hole”)
enrollees are required to pay for prescriptions when they
reach coverage gap. (Begins 2010)

State option to establish Community First Choice for
community-based Medicaid services for disabled (2011)

Enhance health prevention services for Medicare
recipients (2011)
Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Focus on Health Reform: Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance
Program Provisions in the New Health Care Reform Law

Community-based resources are needed to provide
assistive support, legal aid, respite care, and other
services to caregivers.

State-wide initiatives are vital to delivering
accessible, quality services to relative caregivers in
varied communities.

Georgia’s “One system of care” is a programmatic
model that may be replicated in other states for
positive benefit to relative caregivers.

Federal policies play an integral role in supporting
relative caregivers.

AARP

Generations United

American Bar Association:
Center on Children and the
Law

Grandfamilies of America

Grandfamilies State Law and
Policy Resource Center

National Center on
Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren

National Committee of
Grandparents for Children’s
Rights

Center on Law and Social
Policy

Brookdale Foundation

Child Welfare League of
America