Help Available For Kinship Carers Outlined In New Brochure

A new brochure detailing the range support available to people who are raising someone else’s child was launched today by Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey.

The brochure, Help for Kinship Carers, was developed by the Ministry of Social Development and the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust, a nationwide support network for grandparents caring for their grandchildren. It contains information on the assistance that is available from Child, Youth and Family, Work and Income, Inland Revenue and community agencies.

Steve Maharey said the development of the brochure follows concern from kinship carers that it has been difficult to establish what kind of financial and other support they can access.

“In the past grandparents bringing up their grandchildren, and other kinship caregivers, have had to contact a number of government departments to find information about the help they are entitled to. The new brochure is a single source of information about the assistance provided by several organisations and how to access it.

“Raising children is one of the most important jobs adults perform. Where this responsibility thrust expectantly upon grandparents or other kin it can often cause stress and hardship.

“The new brochure will make it easier for kinship carers to access the support that is available and complements changes at Work and Income to improve its service to this group of clients. This includes changes to staff training and manuals, and improvements to relevant application forms and information available its website,” Steve Maharey said.

The brochure will be available through Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust regional co-ordinators, the New Zealand Family and the Foster Care Federation, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Work and Income and Child, Youth and Family. It can also be down-loaded from www.raisinggrandchildren.org.nz.

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