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Although grandparents raising grandchildren is not
a new occurrence, there have however been increasing
numbers of occurrences in the 21st Century. Many
factors contribute to this phenomenon such as increased
life expectancy, higher rates of divorce, increased
unemployment, military deployment and disruptive
factors affecting the family with drug use or incarceration.
In Maryland alone approximately 152,000 children under
the age of 18 live in homes with grandparents or other
relatives. Out of that 152,000 approximately 48,000 of those
children are the sole responsibility of the grandparents.
Both the Howard County Caregiver Support Program
and the Office of Children and Families are working
diligently to provide support for grandparents raising
grandchildren in Howard County.
The Caregiver Support Program and the Federal
Government, through the Older Americans Act, provides
each state with funding for the Family Caregiver Support
Program. Our Caregiver Support program supports
grandparents and other relatives (not parents) 55 years
or older providing care to children 18 years or younger,
and grandparents and other relatives (not parents) 55
years and older providing care to adults age 18-59 with
disabilities with grant funds. We are committed to
providing resources to assist and benefit grandparents
and grandchildren as they navigate their journey through
caregiver education and a conversation series focused on
caregiving and preparing for the present and future.
The Office of Children and Families has a referral
line for residents with questions about caring for their
grandchildren. These calls entail legal custody and
guardianship questions, enrolling children in school and
obtaining health coverage. The Office of Children and
Families and the “Family Institute” offer a wide range of
events, seminars and classes for parents and grandparents
to help grandparents in their caregiving journey as primary
caregivers and guardians. Please contact 410-313-6060 or
410-313-2273 for more information.
Valuable resources for this article: www.howardcountymd.gov; GrandFacts,
www.aarp.org;
Boslaugh, S., Grandparents raising grandchildren, Salem Press, 2013
Grandparents
Raising Grandchildren
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