Research by charity Grandparents Plus found that social workers and local authority panels are more likely to choose adoption for children in care over being raised by their grandparents and other family carers, because they make ageist assumptions about their ability to raise their grandchildren.
The charity argues that ‘greater weight is given to the ‘permanency’ of adoption, rather than the love, stability and family links that grandparents and other family carers can provide.’
The report, Too Old to Care, which is based on in-depth interviews with older grandparent carers, highlights evidence to suggest that adoption is not necessarily a permanent alternative for children as often thought, with 10-50 per cent of placements breaking down.
The charity estimates that 25,000 grandparents over the age of 65 are raising 30,000 grand children in the UK.
Feedback from grandparent carers also reveals that many fear their grandchildren will be taken away from them and because of this they do not seek help.
The report, which has been published to launch a new Grandparents Plus campaign backed by Comic Relief entitled Keep Families Together, makes a number of recommendations including:
- Piloting the use of direct payments for family and friends carers as an alternative to respite.
- Ensuring local authorities implement the statutory guidance on family and friends care, which states that local authorities must consider family members first when a child cannot live with their parents, so carers can access financial, legal and practical support.
- Ensuring family and friends carers can access services through trusted sources independently of social services, such as children’s centres and voluntary sector providers, and that they recognise their needs.
- The needs of grandparent carers taken into account in children’s care plans, particularly when they have additional caring responsibilities for a relative or partner or have health difficulties themselves.
- A review by central Government into the financial support available to family and friends carers, along with proposals in the welfare reform bill that recognise them and the children they are looking after, to avoid children suffering financial hardship or being taken into care.
- Ensuring social work students are aware of the benefits of family and friends care, and to challenge the ageist assumptions that older grandparents are ‘too old to care’, ahead of new age discrimination legislation covering local authority services which comes into force in April 2012.
Sam Smethers, chief executive of Grandparents Plus, said, ‘This research reveals the hidden contribution made by older grandparent carers. But it is worrying to discover that many who need support are too scared to ask for it and of those who do, most don’t get the help they need. There is a fundamental lack of trust in the system which needs to be addressed.’
‘We found a range of problems, from ageist assumptions that they’re ‘too old to care’, through to poor quality assessments and care plans. Yet we know that older people do make good parents for children. They have a wealth of experience and can provide children with love, a sense of identity and belonging and crucially maintain relationships with the wider family.
Case Study
Grandparents Gordon and Rosemary Rawlins from Plymouth became full-time carers seven years ago to their granddaughter Heidi, aged 12.
Mr Rawlins is self-employed and runs his own business to help pay towards caring for their granddaughter. The only financial help the couple receive is through Family Allowance and Working and Child Tax Credits.
Mr Rawlins said, ‘We looked after Heidi on and off from when she was born, but it wasn’t until she was five-years-old that we officially became her full-time carers. We had a difficult battle with the courts, and social services were unable to give us any information to help.’
‘You have to be determined to rescue your grandchildren and have the balls to do it. It’s a very hard process and takes years going through the courts. It was thanks to one woman at Social Services, who was absolutely brilliant, and our determination that we were granted guardianship by the courts.’
He added, ‘The whole system is wrong and rotten. There are millions of grandparent carers and we are saving the government so much money.’
The couple, who meet with other grandparent carers once a month at a support group organised by the council, said that they had only recently found out that they were entitled to tax credits thanks to advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau and Grandparents Plus.
Mr Rawlins said in order to improve the system, grandparent carers should be given an allowance similar to foster carers, and Government and social services need to listen to family and friends carers.
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