Grandparents Plus

The organization was co-founded in 2001 by Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington and the charity’s Co-Chair, Jean Stogdon OBE, a social services manager and Guardian Ad Litem. [4] It is based on The Young Foundation, Bethnal Green, London. The Chief Executive is Lucy Peake. [5] The name was changed from Grandparents plus to Kinship to enable the charity to fight for the rights of all Kinship carers and those who are in crisis. [6]

Grandparents Plus and the production company My Pockets launched a film for Kinship Care Week, ‘Something to be proud of’, tells the story of one child’s experience with kinship care.[7]

• "Grandparenting in Europe: Family Policy and Grandparents’ Role in Providing Childcare", March 2013 showed that British grandparents are almost twice as likely to be in paid work as their European counterparts and 6 in 10 are providing childcare for grandchildren. The report warns of a ‘care gap crisis’ unless action is taken.[8]
• "Giving Up The Day Job", June 2012 showed that 47% of kinship carers who were previously working gave up their jobs when the children moved in [9] [10] [11] [12]
• "Doing It All? Grandparents, Childcare and Employment: Analysis of British Social Attitudes Survey Data from 1998 and 2009" December 2011 showed that 63% of grandparents with grandchildren under 16 are providing childcare, with half (50%) of mothers relying on grandparents to look after their babies when they return from maternity leave.
• "Too Old To Care"
• "What If We Said No?", Oct 2010 showed that 47% of kinship carers say the reason for taking on the care of a child is a parent struggling with a substance use disorder.
• "Grandparenting in Europe", June 2010 showed that one in three working mothers depends on grandparents for childcare. [13]
• "Protect, support, provide – examining the role of grandparents in families at risk of poverty", March 2010 [14]
• "Recognition, respect, reward", October 2009

Kinship