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By Shaun Penner

Supports for Grandparents

Local woman advocating for more supports for grandparents raising grandchildren

Jul 15, 2020 | 12:01 PM

A local woman says there needs to be more financial supports for grandparents who have been thrust into the role of parent for their grandchildren, as she feels there is a gap in which they have fallen through.

Joanne Guthrie and her husband, who live in Beaverlodge, have recently found themselves in that position for their three grandkids, ages 11, 6 and 5. The renewed responsibility of parenthood comes as Joanne’s child and their spouse have run into issues with substance abuse and addiction, and Guthrie and her husband now have legal custody of their grandchildren.

That has completely changed the direction of their lives, from going into their golden years to raising three young children. Guthrie says she had to quit her job to take care of the children full time, while her husband continues to work.

“We were about two years from fully retiring, both my husband and I. We had plans, maybe go buy some property in the Okanagan.

“And now, there is no way, if this continues, that he’ll be able to retire. There is no way that we could afford three children on a pension.”

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That is why she is putting out the call for more financial aid for grandparents who have taken on the role of full-time caregiver. She notes that as the legal guardian of the children, they do receive the Canada Child Benefit, but the amount they receive is based off her husband’s income, and not the parent’s income. She says based on her husband’s income, the amount they receive is “a little, but not a lot”, coming in at under $600 a month.

She adds that, at this time, they do not receive any provincial support, as Guthrie and her husband are above the Alberta Child Benefit’s threshold of $43,295 in annual income.

Following recent conversations with the Ministry of Children’s Services, though, Guthrie has applied for the Child and Youth Support program. The program pays $105 per month, per child up to 11 years of age ($148 for children 12-18), to qualifying families raising kids whose parents and/or guardians are unable or unwilling to care for the child.

“I commend all grandparents who are able and willing to care for their grandchildren, and appreciate the financial challenges faced by some grandparents in these situations,” reads a letter sent to Guthrie from Alberta’s Minister of Children’s Services, Rebecca Schulz.

“It is always best for children to be in the loving care of family members rather than government care.”

Though Guthrie says she has no issue being the caregiver to her grandchildren, she would like to see supports reach a point where she and her husband could both retire, while comfortably being able to support their grandkids.

“Make it something where we don’t have to worry about where the finances are going to come from.”

Guthrie has become a part of a local support group through the Family Resource Network in Grande Prairie, called Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, which she says has been very helpful in understanding that she and her husband are not the only family facing similar issues in the area.

“It’s very, very good. It’s grandparents being able to talk with each other, seeing that you are not the only one out there figuring out what some of our issues are. A lot of it is financial, but a lot of it is not, too.”

From those conversations, Guthrie has found a common form of support many would really like to see offered for those who are raising grandchildren would be qualified, supplemented respite care.

“We’re grandparents, we’re not young, and we’re chasing young children [around],” said Guthrie. “It’s not as if your mom can come over and babysit for you.”

She adds from her research, it costs an average of around $1,072 per month, per child to raise them in Canada. With that, she echoes her hopes of retiring onto their pensions, while being able to properly care for their grandchildren.

“A lot of us are one income or low income, depending on our age,” said Guthrie. “We have worked all of our lives.

“There should be some funding for grandparents, or a family member, who are looking after children who are not their own.”

As part of her case, Guthrie points to the funding the province is putting into additional addiction treatment beds. She feels, for her family and those likes theirs, that those who have fallen victim to addiction are not the only ones affected.

“These children are a part of the ripple effect of that addiction,” said Guthrie.

Guthrie commends the Grande Prairie Family Education Society for their help in finding supports and resources, as well as the Family and Community Support Services in Beaverlodge for their support. She says they have been instrumental in helping her and her husband navigate this change in their lives.

“The people that have been behind us, have really been behind us.”

According to the 2016 census from Statistics Canada, 32,350 children aged 0-14 across the country were living with their grandparents without a parent present. There were 60 children in Grande Prairie at that point in time in the same situation.