Many grandparents in Arkansas being forced back into parenthood
Posted on Sunday, September 10, 2006
Nearly 70, 000 grandparents in Arkansas are raising their grandchildren.
"It's a growing phenomenon," said Suzann Hernandez, education specialist for the Center for Effective Parenting. "I've been holding workshops at different schools because they just don't know their needs."
Hernandez said the Center For Effective Parenting offers support groups for grandparents raising their grandchildren, as well as free parenting classes.
"The way grandparents disciplined their own children years ago isn't necessarily the way they should discipline their grandchildren," she said. "Over the years, discipline tech- niques have changed."
Hernandez said the No. 1 reason parents are forced to raise their grandchildren is because of drug-related issues.
"As a result, a lot of kids have behavior issues because they feel rejected," she said. "The grandparents feel isolated, too. The thing I hear them say time and time again is that they think they are the only ones in this situation. We're here to let them know that they're not the only ones and that there are resources out there for them. "
According to Hernandez, laws in Arkansas don't always protect grandparents.
"A lot of grandparents have sole custody of their grandchildren, but they don't have the paperwork to back it up," she said. "Legal issues are one of the biggest things we deal with. For grandparents to hire a lawyer, it gets very expensive. In Arkansas, we don't have any laws for grandparents who step in, out of the kindness of their heart, to care for a neglected child."
The Center for Effective Parenting is located near the Jones Center in Springdale. It started in 1991 and is federally funded as part of the No Child Left Behind initiative.
Hernandez said the Grandparents as Parents support group meets once a week, with about 10 people attending each week.
"It's not about the size of the group; it's about meeting their needs and connecting various resources," she said. "We have a core group of people who attend all the monthly meetings, while some people attend every few months. We're so close and we call each other for support."
While taking on the role of parent is a difficult challenge for grandparents, Hernandez said the challenge for children can be equally difficult.
"Let the child decide what name to call you," she said. "Kids often get caught because they have mixed loyalties and they still love their mom and dad. That's why we also encourage counseling for the children."
Former state Rep. Jan Judy, co-coordinator for Arkansas Voices Program in Fayetteville, said grandparents have little legal protection.
"One of the things we've been working toward is providing legal services," she said. "We have an attorney on staff who gets them to the legal point they need to be at in order to protect themselves and their grandchildren."
Arkansas Voices is a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to raising public awareness of the harmful effects of parental incarceration on the children of nonviolent offenders.
Judy said parents without legal guardianship are often held hostage by their own children.
"There might be a grandparent who's had sole guardianship for seven years when all of a sudden the parent shows up out of nowhere and threatens to take them away," she said. "They may have just gotten out of prison or whatever and say, ' If you don't buy me a car, I'm taking the kids away. ."
While legal guardianship does offer a level of protection, Judy said it also poses several downfalls.
"Well, for one, they won't be eligible for federal adoption subsidies - which is a large monthly payment until the child turns 18," she said. "They also lose state funding for being a foster parent. In addition, they have the option of getting temporary guardianship. That's why it's important for them to meet with a family lawyer to understand their options and make a decision based on their individual needs."
Judy said the T Program is the only state grant that offers financial support for grandparents raising grandchildren.
"It only pays about $ 81 for each of the first two kids per month and $ 42 for each additional child," she said "That's all grandparents are eligible for. In the legislature, we're looking at increasing that amount to $ 230 per month in subsidies."
Through Arkansas Voices, Judy said, grandparents can receive free meals, school supplies, dance lessons, educational programs and other services for their grandchildren.
While money does assist many grandparents with their financial needs, Judy said it isn't always the answer.
"If they get too much, then they lose other services such as food stamps," she said. "Then they could end up in an even worse situation."
According to Judy, children with parents in prison is a significant problem in Arkansas.
"The No. 1 reason for that is drugs, and as most people know, Northwest Arkansas has a bad methamphetamine problem," she said. "When (Gov. Mike ) Huckabee took office, there were 294 women in the Arkansas Prison System. Now, there are over 1, 100. That doesn't even include the women waiting in local jails. It really has an impact on the kids and families."
Judy said 87 percent of the women in the Arkansas prison system were the primary caregivers for their children. They have an average of 2. 9 children with an average age of 5 years old.
Arkansas Voices offers a support program for grandchildren and grandparents once a month.
"We don't have regular families anymore," Judy said. "It's a patchwork quilt, and I think that's a unique perspective.
"When I went to the legislature, grandparents were seen, but not heard. We passed legislation that gave custody rights to grandparents. By law, the grandparent can be in the courtroom and the judge has to listen to what they say."
In 2003, Judy said, legislation was granted giving grandparents visitation rights.
"I remember one man who had sole custody of his grandchild for seven years," she said. "The daughter lived with him, too. But when she got married, her husband decided that he didn't like the grandparents, so they moved out and wouldn't let them see their grandkids for seven years. After the legislation passed, that man called me crying. He said he got to see his granddaughter for the first time in seven years."
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