From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: When Grandparents Become Caregivers for Children

Description: When grandparents become the primary caregivers for
children, they can face financial and other challenges. GAO's Kathy
Larin discusses in today's Watchdog Report.

Related GAO Work: GAO-20-434, Child Welfare and Aging Programs: HHS
Could Enhance Support for Grandparents and Other Relative Caregivers

Released: August 2020

[ Intro Music ]

[Holly Hobbs:] Hi, and welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for
news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm
Holly Hobbs. 

When parents are absent or unable to care for their children, it is
grandparents or other relatives who have stepped in to become the
primary caregivers. In 2018, an estimated 1.7 million children lived
with their grandparents instead of their parents. While keeping children
within their families has benefits, such as moving kids into a home
where they have an existing relationship, for older caregivers, it can
also present challenges. With us to discuss a new report on this issue
is Kathy Larin, a Director in GAO's Education, Workforce, and Income
Security team. Thank you for joining us, Kathy.
 
[Kathy Larin:] Thanks for having me. 

[Holly Hobbs:] So, Kathy, what challenges do grandparents, in
particular, face, when they become the primary caregivers for children? 

[Kathy Larin:] Grandparents face some unique challenges when they become
the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. A lot of grandparents
are retired. They're living on fixed incomes, and they weren't
anticipating the financial strain of having to take on the care of their
grandchildren. So, income is definitely one of those challenges. 
Another one is legal assistance. For example, a lot of grandparents
don't have legal custody of the children they're caring for, and the
foster care system provides a lot of supports, including financial
support, that grandparents don't have access to when they're not part of
that system. Separate from that, when it comes to the legal custody
issue, it's difficult for grandparents to make decisions on behalf of
their children and apply for benefits, if they are not the ones who have
legal custody. 

[Holly Hobbs:] So, has the COVID-19 pandemic added to those challenges? 

[Kathy Larin:] Yeah, it really has. So, another major challenge, an
ongoing challenge, that older caregivers face is managing their own
health issues while caring for children. And while everyone is at risk
for contracting COVID-19, early evidence suggests that those who are
over the age of 65 are more likely to be hospitalized and to die from
the virus, so they're at much higher risk. In addition to that, like
other caregivers of school-aged children, they've had to provide a lot
of additional care and support for these children since schools and
daycare centers have been closed.

[ Music ]

[Holly Hobbs:] So, it sounds like despite their best intentions or
efforts, grandparents and other relatives can face challenges when
trying to take care of children in their family. 
Kathy, what federal or state resources are available to help these
caregivers? 

[Kathy Larin:] Well, there's several federal programs and initiatives
that were established specifically to help grandparents and other
relative caregivers. Some of these, like the Guardian Assistance Program
and the Kinship Navigator Program, were established through the
child-welfare system. And then, there's also a National Family Caregiver
Support Program that's part of the Older Americans Act. However, these
programs are optional and they're not available in all states.

[Holly Hobbs:] So, what do those programs actually do? 

[Kathy Larin:] Those programs provide a range of supports for
caregivers. Some of those supports are financial. They can be
counseling, they can be providing respite care, connecting caregivers to
additional services. So, the programs really can be very good support
for those who have access to them. 

[Holly Hobbs:] Did you have any recommendations on this? 

[Kathy Larin:] Yes, we did. So, the federal agencies that administer
these programs, they provide technical assistance and support to the
states that have the programs, but we recommended they do more to reach
out, share best practices, and provide supports to states that have a
large proportion of caregivers with information about these programs. 

[Holly Hobbs:] So, Kathy, what's the bottom line of this report? 

[Kathy Larin:] Grandparents and other relative caregivers play a
critical role in raising millions of children who can no longer be cared
for by their parents. But financial, health, and other issues can make
that role really challenging, especially for caregivers who aren't part
of the foster care systems. So, there are programs that are there to
help relative caregivers raise children, but not all states offer these
services, and the federal government could do more to share information
about these programs to help states to better support these caregivers. 

[Holly Hobbs:] That was Kathy Larin talking about a new report on child
welfare and aging programs. Thank you for your time, Kathy. 

[Kathy Larin:] Thank you. 

[Holly Hobbs:] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To
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For more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government
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