Children and Schools, 25(2), April 2003, pp.87-95.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Discusses a holistic pilot program that was developed to deliver services to custodial grandparents, grandchildren, and school personnel. Three grandparent and three grandchildren educational support groups met weekly for eight consecutive weeks in both rural and urban locations in the USA. School personnel participated in a services of in-service meetings focused on providing information about custodial grandparent families, recognising common strengths and challenges, and enhancing communication. During and after the completion of the programme, observations and preliminary data analysis showed positive social and participation benefits for both grandparents and grandchildren.
Discusses a holistic pilot program that was developed to deliver services to custodial grandparents, grandchildren, and school personnel. Three grandparent and three grandchildren educational support groups met weekly for eight consecutive weeks in both rural and urban locations in the USA. School personnel participated in a services of in-service meetings focused on providing information about custodial grandparent families, recognising common strengths and challenges, and enhancing communication. During and after the completion of the programme, observations and preliminary data analysis showed positive social and participation benefits for both grandparents and grandchildren.
Subject terms:
self-esteem, social skills, children, groups, grandparents;
Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 1(3), 2003, pp.35-47.
Publisher:
Routledge
Place of publication:
Philadelphia
Grandparents are returning to the role of parents in ever-increasing numbers. Custodial grandparents often find themselves isolated from sources of support as they face unique emotional, physical, and financial challenges on a daily basis. Nearly half are grandparents without partners and the majority are caring for two or more young children. Children in the care of grandparents are more likely parent groups revealed a high readiness for information among the custodial grandparent population. Based on information obtained from this measure, a holistic programme was developed which simultaneously provided services to caregiving grandparents, their young grandchildren, and educational professionals. Grandparent and grandchildren's groups met weekly and emphasized topics and activities aimed populations. Grandparents were found to increase in parenting knowledge, perceived levels of social support, willingness to utilize existing resources, and enjoyment of time with their grandchildren. Levels of isolation and perceived depression were decreased. Participating grandchildren demonstrated increased abilities to interact effectively with peers and adults and perceived their interactions with grandparents more positively. Educational professionals reported feeling more informed about custodial grandparent family issues, more confident about interacting with grandparents, and more knowledgeable about existing resources. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Grandparents are returning to the role of parents in ever-increasing numbers. Custodial grandparents often find themselves isolated from sources of support as they face unique emotional, physical, and financial challenges on a daily basis. Nearly half are grandparents without partners and the majority are caring for two or more young children. Children in the care of grandparents are more likely to experience cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges. Their early traumatic experiences may lead to difficulties in communication and forming attachments. The Parent Topics Questionnaire is a standardized assessment measure designed to provide parent education group facilitators with specific information about needs, desires, and expectations of participants. Administration of this instrument to four parent groups revealed a high readiness for information among the custodial grandparent population. Based on information obtained from this measure, a holistic programme was developed which simultaneously provided services to caregiving grandparents, their young grandchildren, and educational professionals. Grandparent and grandchildren's groups met weekly and emphasized topics and activities aimed at meeting common needs within these populations. Educational professionals participated in a series of inservice meetings aimed at increasing awareness of needs and strengths of grandparent headed families, modifying curriculum to more effectively meet grandchildren's needs, and enhancing knowledge of existing resources. Pre and post-test analysis demonstrate significant positive effects for all involved populations. Grandparents were found to increase in parenting knowledge, perceived levels of social support, willingness to utilize existing resources, and enjoyment of time with their grandchildren. Levels of isolation and perceived depression were decreased. Participating grandchildren demonstrated increased abilities to interact effectively with peers and adults and perceived their interactions with grandparents more positively. Educational professionals reported feeling more informed about custodial grandparent family issues, more confident about interacting with grandparents, and more knowledgeable about existing resources. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Subject terms:
intergenerational relationships, social isolation, parental role, stress, unmet need, assessment, carers, children, depression, education, families, family relations, grandparents;