Most parents look forward to the day they'll become grandparents, but few would expect to become the primary care giver for their grandchildren.
A Senate committee says many grandparents acting as primary carers are facing desperate circumstances and significant financial hardship.
The Community Affairs References Committee has recommended grandparents who act as primary carers of their grandchildren need greater financial support.
Suzie Harrison -- not her real name -- has been caring for her autistic grandson since he was two years old.
He's now 13.
While Ms Harrison is deeply committed to her carer role, she is under financial strain after giving up a well-paid job to look after him full-time.
And that comes on top of the emotional strain.
For example, she says her grandson has questions about why he cannot live with his mother -- questions she doesn't know how to answer.
"Emotionally, it is really, really hard at times, where you don't know how to answer questions that they ask, you don't know the right way to respond to something that they might say or experiences that they've had. It's tough."
A report from the Senate parliamentary committee has recognised that struggle of many grandparents and looked at how it can at least help on the financial end.
It recommends grandparents who assume carer roles be given vouchers to cover school expenses, plus additional financial allowances to help alleviate the monetary burden.
The Community Affairs References Committee says many grandparents face significant challenges and desperate circumstances when left to raise their grandchildren.
West Australian Liberal senator Dean Smith, who initiated the inquiry, says money is often central to the stress on grandparents who take on a primary-carer role.
"One of the critical issues is the disparity between financial support given to foster carers and the financial support that is given to grandparents, grandparents who are rearing their grandchildren on a full-time basis."
The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren in Australia is unknown, but the committee has called for the next census to address it.
The committee has also recommended greater funding be put into legal services to help grandparents seeking to assume custody of their grandchildren.
Council on Ageing chief executive officer Ian Yates says children often come under the care of their grandparents in unexpected circumstances.
"Suddenly, there's a crisis, and the grandchildren arrive at the grandparents' house, and they've got to be equipped, clothed and fed and go to school and all those issues, things that grandparents aren't set up for in daily life. So, suddenly, there's a need for money for a range of things that they hadn't anticipated."
The report says many grandparents also feel ashamed to talk about the reasons they have taken on the primary-carer role.
In some cases, the children are at risk of neglect or abuse.
Mr Yates says the issues around that are numerous.
"It can be a situation where, for example, for drug-related issues, these people's children, who are the parents of the grandchildren, are unable to take responsibility. The grandparents take the responsibility. They don't do anything to get legal custody, because that costs lawyers' fees and they don't have money, they're on a pension. On the other hand, they should be able to get parenting allowance, or family allowance, but the children are claiming that."
Senator Dean Smith says some grandparents also worry their parenting techniques might be out-of-date.
"A lot of the grandparents said they wouldn't mind some refresher courses on how to improve their parenting skills so they can provide the best care, the best love, for their grandchildren."
He says grandparents from migrant and refugee communities face additional challenges in caring for their grandchildren.
"For migrant communities, they're particularly challenging when the grandparents' English skills may not be as good for them as it might be for other grandparents. Grandchildren are growing up in a much more ... in a different context to perhaps the way their migrant children were growing up."
The committee's recommendations will now go to the federal and state governments, who have three months to respond.
Suzie Harrison hopes they listen.
"I just need the right resources to be able to give this kid an opportunity to be the best person that he can be."
Share
