The Help Grandparents Need When They Step Up to Raise Children

When grandparents suddenly become parents again, they can face a mountain of challenges. Our partner charity, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, helps them find practical support, financial assistance and a community they can lean on. In Kaitāia, Gill is making sure local grandparents don't have to figure it all out alone.

When grandparents step in to raise their grandchildren, it often happens suddenly. They may find themselves navigating unfamiliar systems while trying to provide stability, safety and love for children who have already experienced significant challenges.

In Kaitāia, Gill is helping grandparents find their way through these challenges.

As the Support Group Coordinator for our partner charity, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Gill brings years of experience supporting children and families.

Although she isn't raising grandchildren herself, much of her working life has been dedicated to helping children and families. Her career has included early childhood education, family support, parenting education and trauma-informed practice.

Along the way, she's worked with foster families, supported children with complex needs and even become an international storyteller, sharing stories with communities around the world.

After experiencing a brain injury, Gill found herself looking for a new way to contribute. When a colleague from the Brain Injury Association Northland encouraged her to apply for the coordinator role with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, she decided to give it a go.

"I was told I would be great at the position," she recalls. "So here I am."

Since joining Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Gill has become a trusted source of support for local caregivers.

Through the Kaitāia support group, grandparents find connection, practical information and reassurance that they're not facing their challenges alone.

One family's experience has stayed with Gill.

The grandparents were caring for their grandchildren and had been struggling financially for years. Although they were entitled to financial assistance through the Unsupported Child's Benefit, they weren't receiving it.

The extra costs of raising children had put ongoing pressure on an already stretched household budget.

Recognising what the family was going through, Gill connected them with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren's advocacy service.

With the right support and guidance, the grandparents were able to access the financial assistance they were entitled to.

The difference was significant.

The extra support eased the pressure of everyday expenses and helped create greater stability for the children in their care.

What had once felt overwhelming became much more manageable.

For Gill, seeing that change made a lasting impression.

"Supporting grandparents and putting them in contact with our advocate, then seeing the positive, life-changing outcome, was very humbling. I feel very blessed to have had that experience."

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Words and images supplied by Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.