“Roll back the years”: A study of grandparent special guardians' experiences and implications for social work policy and practice in England

Abstract

and Twumasi, Bismark (2019) 'Roll back the years': A study of grandparent special guardians' experiences and implications for social work policy and practice in England. Child and Family Social Work .

A heavy weight, yet empowering: Grandparent Special Guardians’ lived experiences of the role and family dynamics - An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)

“…While there is currently a scarcity of research into the experiences of grandparent Special Guardians, many of these findings align with previous studies (Hingley-Jones et al, 2020). They indicate that there are significant implications for grandparents in many aspects of their lives for years following the SGO.…”

“…Becoming a Special Guardian triggered a transition from grandparent to parent that reduced opportunities to engage with previous pursuits and social networks. This transition changed expected identities in relation to aspects of the role aligning more with parenting, supporting current literature (Hingley-Jones et al, 2020;Wade et al, 2014). Opportunities to engage with others in similar circumstances might help to reduce social isolation and increase wellbeing through engaging with those who have a shared understanding (Starks and Whitley, 2020).…”

‘It's not fair’: Custodial grandparents' access to services and supports in Australia

“…The impact on grandparents of providing care is detailed extensively in the literature, especially in relation to their physical and mental health and wellbeing (Kiraly, 2015;Taylor et al, 2016;Taylor, Marquis, Coall, Batten, et al, 2017). However, discussion of inequity and/or injustice is glaringly absent, despite evidence of intersectional experiences of poverty, isolation, disadvantage and marginalization associated with socio-economic and legal (formal or informal carer) status, gender, culture and racial identity (Duckett, 2011;Hingley-Jones et al, 2019;Simpson & Lawrence-Webb, 2009). In particular, experiences of significant financial disadvantage (Tarrant et al, 2017) are seen to exacerbate negative impacts on child and carer wellbeing, resulting in further social isolation and compounding the challenges of accessing support (Taylor et al, 2020).…”

“…In particular, experiences of significant financial disadvantage (Tarrant et al, 2017) are seen to exacerbate negative impacts on child and carer wellbeing, resulting in further social isolation and compounding the challenges of accessing support (Taylor et al, 2020). Grandcarers who do not have legal status as formal carers have been identified as facing significant hardship, including financial disadvantage and difficulty accessing services (Duckett, 2011;Grandparents Plus, 2019;Hingley-Jones et al, 2019;Kiraly, 2019;Simpson & Lawrence-Webb, 2009). More recently, there is also growing recognition of grandcarers' resilience (Hayslip & Smith, 2012) and the rewards and enjoyment they experience through their caring role (Kiraly, 2015).…”

‘It's rewarding because I get the love’: Grandparents raising grandchildren with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder

“…As grandchildren often came into the care of their grandparents due to the parent's own troubles (e.g. legal, financial, substance use and/or health; Hayslip et al, 2019; Hingley‐Jones et al, 2020), the possibility of the grandchild returning to potentially unsafe living conditions was a major source of distress for these grandparents. This finding aligns with previous descriptions of the legal issues that arise from the informal caregiving relationships experienced by grandparents raising grandchildren (Fernandes et al, 2021; Hillman & Anderson, 2019).…”