Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Concerns And Supports Of Grandfamilies Using Formal Services: Do They Have The Help They Need?, Susan M. Collins, Christine A. Fruhauf, Kimberly Bundy-Fazioli

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

The objective of this exploratory study was to discover the functional and psychosocial concerns of grandfamilies already receiving support services in their community, and to ask if they had the help they needed. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 16 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren and were involved with a support group or a grandfamily workshop. Results indicated that grandparents affiliated with formal supports still experience psychosocial concerns (i.e., child’s emotional problems) and functional concerns (i.e., financial strain). Suggestions are included for further development on this measure as derived from the literature, service provider observations, and grandfamily …