BC Council for Families

by Cara HyKawy
Communications Assistant

I have great memories of the time I spent with my grandparents as a child. On weekdays, while my parents worked, both sets of grandparents shared an alternating schedule of babysitting me.  For families who live close to one another, those kinds of caregiving arrangements can be rewarding for everyone concerned – kids, grandparents, and parents. 

 
But although grandparents seldom anticipate having to raise their grandkids full-time, currently nearly 10,000 children in B.C. are being raised by their grandparents.  Taking on the responsibility for caring for their children’s children can be stressful, and the financial, emotional and legal issues can prove overwhelming. Grandparents acting as full-time caregivers for their grandchildren may have lots of unanswered questions, and not know where to turn for help.
 
Now, funding from the Ministry of Children and Family Development  for the establishment of a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Line and email support means that grandparents in BC can get the help and advice they need.  The phone line, operated by experienced advocates at the Parent Support Services Society of B.C.,  will help full-time caregivers understand their rights, their obligations and the benefits, supports, and resources available to them, as well as how to access those supports.
 
In a press release issued by the Ministry, Barbara Whittington, a professor in the school of social work at the University of Victoria, called the line a "solid step toward truly supporting extended family caregivers." The support line and email support might just allow grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren to spend less time becoming overwhelmed or stressed regarding care-taking issues, and more time creating good memories of time spent together.
 
Call the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Line at 604-558-4740 if you’re in the Lower Mainland, and 1-855-474-9777 (toll free) anywhere else in BC. Or email the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Service at GRGline@parentsupport.ca. The help line will operate province-wide, Monday to Friday, for five hours each day.