Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren: Support for Three Generations

Working in the field of human services in Massachusetts for the past 3 years has given me an understanding of the vast way in which community problems are intertwined.  There are so many topics to discuss when it comes to looking at a community as a whole and breaking it down into manageable pieces.  The purpose of the organization I work for on Cape Cod is to prevent child abuse and neglect by supporting families and building resources in the region.  Through our work, we engage various social issues that a person may face.  From family dynamics, domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, substance use, to physical and mental illness, and even suicide, all of these issues are tied together, influencing and affecting the others.  None exist independent of each other.  As such, new areas of need continue to unfold in our communities and we fill those needs as we see them arise.  One such area that we have focused on is grandparents raising grandchildren.

According to the Cape Cod Times, 80%  of grandparents are raising their grandchildren because the parent is struggling with substance use disorder or has died of a drug related overdose.

Grandparents raising their grandchildren has become a socially relevant issue that is growing larger each year.  As we see more and more substance use and an increase in the opioid epidemic, we also see more grandparents who have taken over custody of their grandchildren.  According to the Cape Cod Times, 80%  of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren are doing so because the parent is struggling with substance use disorder or has died of a drug related overdose.

Entering such an unprecedented family kinship structure has many costs associated with it.  These families are facing challenges at each generation.  For the grandparents, there are many stressors that make this a difficult transition.  One example is the financial stress associated with taking on a new child.  Most have to come out of retirement and go back to work to financially support their grandchildren.  Another difficult aspect of raising an energy filled child is the physical stress it takes to keep up with them when one reaches an older age.  These second time parents are in need of many supports from the community, from peers going through the same thing, and even from legal entities.  For example, in the court everyone has the right to an attorney, however the grandparent does not.  Having no legal representation makes you unable to advocate for the needs of the child in the best way possible.

Another very pressing aspect of this family dynamic is the emotional stress associated with the trauma experienced, often caused by the lifestyle of the parents.   Many of the children I have worked directly with live with behavioral and mental health issues due to trauma, substance use in utero, or witnessing domestic violence.  Additionally, the parents of these children are out there, often still substance use dependent, in jail, struggling with mental health issues or are victims of domestic violence.  Situations such as this put a family into crisis and cause pressures that can be extremely overwhelming to the whole family.  These families need social support and guidance from many different facets of the community because each member of the family is struggling and needs help in different ways.

Supporting families takes a broad approach and understanding of the many issues that are interwoven into the fabric of our society.

Based on what I have described here, we can see that this is an issue that directly affects multiple generations and that is connected to many complex problems faced in our communities.  Supporting families takes a broad approach and understanding of the many issues that are interwoven into the fabric of our society.  It is my purpose in writing this piece to raise awareness about this family structure that is ever increasing, but also to shed light on the importance of a multifaceted approach to community development.  We are not just individuals with individual problems.  We are multiple generations that face difficulties tangled up within the complex nature inherent to society itself.  In doing this work, it is crucial to understand that in order to help with one problem, we have to look at the bigger picture and address the cross section between multiple societal issues.  We can not work on one piece and neglect the rest.  We can not blame people for their behaviors, but must look at the way in which the systems that we have in place create the dynamics at play.  Simply put, there is a lot to consider when working in community development and a lot of work to be done in supporting the families in our communities.