News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Resources are available to help the unique challenges for grandparent caregivers
Over two and a half million custodial grandparents are raising approximately 4.8 million grandchildren in the United States. That averages to about 4% of all children being raised by custodial grandparents. About 32% of children in foster care are in relative placement homes – an increase of 8% for each child placed in a relative foster care home – 19% are raised by relatives outside of foster care. Though Tennessee is ranked fourth in the nation for the lowest percentage of children in foster care being raised by grand-families, the United States averages 32% – Tennessee’s average is 9% – but it’s important for us to discuss grandparents who are raising their grandchildren for whatever reason – absentee parents, parents who are incarcerated, or other reasons. The number of grandparent care givers continue to rise. There are unique challenges that grandparents experience as caregivers for their grandchildren, and we’ll cover those, as well as some resources and the process to grandparents becoming foster parents today with the UCDD on The Best-Kept Secrets of Care-Giving.
