By Raquel Daniels
GRANDcares Site Coordinator, Larimer County
An important part of the GRANDcares Project along with
providing the Powerful Tools for Caregivers- Grandfamilies program and
GRANDcares Youth Club, is to provide educational content for service providers
working with grandfamilies. Grandfamilies often face challenges navigating
systems as caregivers including barriers to having access to resources or
awareness of resources available to them in their communities.
Service providers who regularly interact with
grandfamilies in providing resources and referrals also need support to continue
to serve grandparents. Grandparents raising grandchildren are in unique family systems
that present their own challenges. Service providers need education on
navigating this unique family system. The more understanding and education
service providers can gain by learning about the barriers grandparents may face
will increase their awareness of grandfamilies' resilience and strengths. Service
providers play an important role in helping grandparents navigate the
infrastructure of services and assisting grandparents with referral, case
management, parenting skills, and emotional support (Fruhauf, Pevney, &
Bundy-Fazioli, 2012). The need for services geared specifically for
grandparents is essential. The more service providers have knowledge of resources
in the community and are able to direct grandparents to such resources that
will be most beneficial to them, the more supported grandfamilies will be.
Please check out our webinars through the link below on
strengths-based approaches for grandfamilies, trauma and resilience,
evidence-based practices and more, to continue to equip service providers with more
knowledge about this population they serve and continue to meet the needs of
grandfamilies.
Fruhauf, C. A., Peyney, B., &
Bundy-Fazioli, K. (2015). The needs and use of programs by service providers working
with grandparents raising grandchildren. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 34(2),
138-157.
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