Grandparents: Taking on parenting a second time around

University of Victoria second-year law student Kristen Holten can anticipate practically any legal question associated with the growing phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren after she helped collect research, conduct focus groups and compile answers for a one-of-a-kind Canadian legal guide.

On April 1, UVic’s School of Social Work and Parent Support Services of BC released Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Legal Guide. The first in Canada, this guidebook helps grandparents understand and navigate the legal complexities involved in raising grandchildren without a parent in the home. UVic professor Dr. Barb Whittington (social work) was project co-chair and helped oversee Holten’s UVic Law co-op work term. The legal guide was developed with the input of grandparents, social workers, service providers, lawyers and judges.

“Working on the legal guide with experienced social workers, lawyers and grandparents was a great opportunity to do meaningful advocacy work early in my legal career,” says Holten. “Meeting with grandparents and hearing their stories of courage provided balance to the detached sense you get in law school when reading case law about people who, to a student, are just names on a page.”

According to Statistics Canada, in 2006 there were more than 65,000 children across the nation being raised by grandparents. The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren research team provided questionnaires to 126 grandparents throughout the province. More than 200 grandparents were also interviewed through focus groups at mainland and Vancouver Island intercultural centres, Aboriginal centres and other community locations including in Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Courtenay and Campbell River.

“The grandparents we met range in age from their 40s to 80s,” adds Holten. “Whether working full-time or retired and living on a fixed income, they face an uphill challenge parenting grandchildren who often come with a lot of baggage. Grandparents need help. Thankfully the legal guide has caught the attention of law and policy makers.”

The project was funded through the Law Foundation of BC and three provincial ministries. For more information, visit www.parentsupportbc.ca or email grg@parentsupportbc.ca to request a copy of the guide.