Grandparents Raising Grandchildren due to an Absent Natural Parent

In addition to the Three Layers of Equal Parenting for the two Equal Parents, we propose the following  Statutory Changes for Natural Grandparents and Kinship Families.:

1.  If for any reason a Natural Parent is absent, indisposed, or refuses to stand as an Equal Parent, a Natural Grandparent or Natural Sibling may stand as an Equal Parent.  That is, the Natural Parent's right to stand as an Equal Parent is immediately attributed jointly to the Natural Grandparents if living of the absent Natural Parent, but may be attributed by the them to a Natural Parent's sibling or other Family Member by Appointment forming a Kinship Family or by Adoption.

2.  A Natural Grandparent may (and probably should) stand as a Co-Defendant in a Custody Trial with their child, the Natural Parent..

For more on Grandparent's Rights refer to the  Canadian Grandparents Rights Association, and see The Child's Right to Love:

CANGRANDS KINSHIP SUPPORT

CANGRANDS Kinship Support - Google Search

CANGRANDS is an national internet support group for kinship families raising a faamily member's children’. According to Stats Canada, 70,000 grandparents are raising grandchildren, with no bio parent in the home, and with next to nil for government support. There are 20,000 kinship children in Ontario. In the Ottawa area there are over 3000 kinship families!  ..  "Kinship care" is defined as the placement of a child in the home of the child's relative .. 58% of Kinship families consist of a single grandmother, raising one or two special needs grandchildren.

Betty Cornelius-President
R.R. 1, McArthurs Mills,
Ontario, Canada K0L 2M0
Tel: (613) 474-0035

Grandparents and Parents Chasing a Family Court Judge

Should grandparents have legal standing in child custody battles or when it comes to access to their grandchildren?   At 2005-04-14....

Total Votes for this Question: 3817      http://www.canoe.ca/

Parents Again, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, CTV's W-FIVE

Natural_Grandparents_Rights_Proposals;  CANGRANDS KINSHIP SUPPORT

"More and more grandparents in Canada find themselves raising children for a second time, but this time around, they are raising their grandchildren. At least 65,000 children live with their grandparents in Canada. And most of those grandparents are raising the children on a small pension, living below the poverty line <precluded from funding available to Foster Parents>."   Thanks, Dorothy....

bill 210, ontario, grandparent - Google Search

Documentary to focus on kinship families

A kinship documentary is set to air Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. on W5 and local resident Tammy Brockhaus believes it will raise awareness of important issues family members raising kinship children are currently facing.

Brockhaus is a 58-year-old widow who has been raising her six-year-old grandson, Alex, since he was 30 days old. While the last six years have proved to be a challenge for her, Brockhaus, who also has three grown children, has found fulfillment raising a child the second time around.

“From what I hear it’s going to be a good show,” she said in regard to the documentary. “It’s going to be valuable because it will help make people aware of the fact that there is a lot of support out there as far as peers. A lot of different people can help with different situations.”

In 2004, with a handful of grandparents, Brockhaus formed a local chapter of CANGRANDS, a non-profit organization devoted to providing online kinship support for caregiver families across Canada. However, the group had such diverse needs that Brockhaus found it easier to meet with members individually rather than on group basis. While she continues to be a part of CANGRANDS and heads the local chapter, she wants to continue to raise awareness that support is available to those who are raising kinship families.

“I believe, at first, people think they are the only ones,” stated Brockhaus. “Grandparents raising their grandchildren is the fastest growing phenomenon in North America. I still keep in touch with people by phone. A couple of the lawyers in town know I’m connected with CANGRANDS and they sometimes refer clients to me for questions they can’t answer. If I can’t answer them, I forward them to our group and they get answered that way.” ”

Last June, CBC taped a documentary from Brockhaus’ Huntsville home. Titled Call Me Nana, it was broadcast in September and touched on Brockhaus’ life as a grandmother raising her grandson. While the documentary shed some light as to what she personally faces, it also focused on the lack of funding that is available to kinship families and the fact that the government is aware that grandchildren are better off in the homes of their grandparents as opposed to being placed in foster homes.

“It (the documentary) gave an in-depth into the lack of funding and the fact that Ontario is on the low end of the scale,” said Brockhaus, noting that Vancouver is among one of the places that receives the highest amount in terms of funding. “Grandparents who are raising children end up going through all of their savings. The government does not provide for us in any way. Some people do get temporary care allowance, but there are already people being cut off. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren save the government millions of dollars annually because they are not in foster care.”

According to the CANGRANDS website, www.cangrands.com, there are close to 70,000 kinship families in Canada. The organization welcomes all grandparents and kinship families who are raising grandchildren or extended family members to its home online. The goal of CANGRANDS is to support grandmothers, grandfathers, and kinship families to maintain or re-establish family ties.

For more information about CANGRANDS or to join the local chapter, contact Tammy Brockhaus at nanasrgr8@yahoo.ca.