Annette Ellis (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes:

(a)

the growing incidence of, and pressures on, grandparents being called on to resume the role of parenting of grandchildren, resulting from family tragedies, family breakdown, or the devastating impacts of drug or alcohol abuse;

(b)

the tremendous role that many community organisations and support services paly in highlighting these issues, seeking funding support for services; and

(c)

the fundamental role grandparents are playing in holding many family units together and their struggle to provide a safe, secure and supportive environment for their grandchildren;

(2)

acknowledges:

(a)

the support currently provided by government departments and agencies;

(b)

the contribution of peak organisations around Australia, including research and reports developed by such bodies as Families Australia (Grandparenting: Present and Future, January 2007) and in the ACT, the Canberra Mothercraft Society Inc (Grandparents Parenting Children because of Alcohol and other Drugs, 2006); and

(c)

that these organisations are doing a great service to families in these circumstances by their calls to achieve substantive improvements in quality of life for grandparents and the children in their care by advocating for legislative recognition of these particular family units and their unique situations;

(3)

recognises, when considering the key issues faced by grandparents raising children:

(a)

the need for relevant, current and accessible information as soon as children arrive as resources developed by community organisations rapidly become out-of-date as such organisations often lack funding for ongoing updates and reprints;

(b)

the potential for significant financial hardship and compromise when they take on parenting of grandchildren, including the often limited financial resources of grandparents and the hardship and challenges they face in making a suitable home and supporting children’s needs;

(c)

the need for access to affordable legal services and support;

(d)

that parenting over the age of 55 has significant health impacts, exacerbated when grandparents are faced with the unexpected physical and emotional toll of caring for children who are often struggling themselves as a result of the circumstances they came from;

(e)

the significant contribution grandparents make to the social capital of their community and our nation, the isolation and, sometimes, the stigma felt by grandparents and grandchildren in these circumstances and the relative scarcity of natural peer support and community linkages available to grandparents caring for children; and

(f)

the need for further research to identify the extent of grandparent families, particularly indigenous grandparent families; and

(7)

calls on the Government to seek further departmental improvements in response to these issues, including consideration of peak body representations in the areas of:

(a)

accessibility of relevant information and advice;

(b)

consideration of financial implications;

(c)

legal complexities and costs;

(d)

health impacts on grandparents and children;

(e)

impact on grandparents and their contribution to society; and

(f)

the need for further research.

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