Grandparents as Primary Carers and Parents as Teachers

1. Grandparents as Primary Carersand Parents as Teachers Professor Jennifer Bowes Children and Families Research Centre Faculty of Human Sciences

2. Children and Families Research Centre Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University Established in 2007 Macquarie University Research Centre status from 2009

3. CFRC Mission To conduct high quality interdisciplinary research that contributes to knowledge about the learning and development of children and families with a commitment to applying research to policy recommendations and outreach activities in a variety of communities

4. CFRC Management • Director: Professor Jennifer Bowes • Deputy Director: Dr Wayne Warburton • Management Board Chair: Mr John Pascoe, Chief Federal Magistrate • Advisory Board Chair: Prof. Alan Hayes, AM Director, AIFS

5. Research Approaches • Interdisciplinary research that includes multiple perspectives, including children’s voices • Research in neglected areas of child development and family research with a focus on young children • Producing research that can make a difference, informing policy and practice

6. Community Outreach at CFRC Parents as Teachers training Conferences for practitioners and policy makers - Parent support and education - Children and the media (3) - Migrant and refugee families - Early Years Learning Framework - Evidence-based practice in Early Childhood 2012 – GRANDPARENTING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

7. New Grandparenting Project • Longer life expectancy means that many people have the opportunity to watch their grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren grow up • Grandparenting presents many pleasures but also many challenges • Grandparents and child care (part-time and full-time) • Grandparents who have the full-time care of their grandchildren are our focus

8. What we know about grandparents as carers of their grandchildren? • Grandparent care is the most popular form of childcare in Australia with one fifth of children under 12 receiving care from their grandparents • Kinship care has recently overtaken foster care as main placement for children in out-of-home care • Most kinship carers are grandparents • The grandchildren have backgrounds of abuse, neglect and relationship breakdown and often have additional needs, including learning difficulties or gaps • Mixed response by grandparents to full-time child rearing • Need for more information and support for grandparents and research on the issues that face them and their children

9. CFRC plans for research and community outreach in this area • Research on intergenerational family dynamics • Research on grandparents caring for the children of prisoners • Grandparenting in the 21st Century conference for grandparents – Friday 26 October, Macquarie University • Literacy tutoring program for grandchildren in primary school • Parents as Teachers home visiting service for grandchildren under the age of 3 years

10. Intergenerational research project on family dynamics • EOI submitted for Macquarie University Postdoctoral Fellowship • Bridget Jenkins completing a PhD on grandparents and child care • She will also be a speaker at Grandparenting conference

11. Research on grandparents caring for the children of prisoners • Discussions with Department of Corrective Services and Shine for Kids • Plan to submit a Macquarie University Collaborative Research Grant. If we can obtain funding from an external source, university will match • After a 12-month project, plan to submit application for an ARC Linkage Grant • Seeking external collaborators

12. Conference Grandparenting in the 21st Century • Anticipated audience of interested grandparents • Grandparents who care for their grandchildren full-time will be targeted • Program includes topics requested by grandparents in support groups: children’s use of technology, gifted children, children with autism, children who have suffered trauma in their early years • $5000 funding support from Macquarie University Diversity Grant

13. Literacy tutoring program for grandchildren • Pilot program involving 5 children and 10 PACE students from Psychology, to be held in MUSEC • Training by Dr Coral Kemp in skills assessment and tutoring using the MULTILIT program • Jennifer Bowes and Kerry Hodge will provide supervision of tutors and work with Coral Kemp and two Sociology research interns on design of a research project for 2013 • Application submitted to Commonwealth Bank Community Fund for partial support of 2013 tutoring and research project

14. Possible PAT home visiting service for grandchildren under 3 • Parents as Teachers and Macquarie University • Home visiting education and support program for parents raising young children • Could be used with grandparents • One of the PAT trainers interested in providing these services for grandparents with children under 3 • Support needed for this to happen

15. Conclusion • Grandparents aregroup of people raising young children who have received little support and about whom little is known • They have particular challenges: • General issues with the changed context for raising children today • Personal issues of grief about their own children and their grandchildren • Often dealing with particular behavioural and learning difficulties in their grandchildren We hope that CFRC plans for community outreach and support in this area can make a difference in the lives of the grandparents and their grandchildren and bring greater community awareness of this group and their needs