Grandparents raising grandchildren deserve help

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance – unconditional love, kindness, patience, humour, comfort, lessons in life. And most importantly, cookies.

-Rudolph Giuliani

Our thoughts often focus on the things we have to be thankful for, despite the economic whirlwind that surrounds us. We think of those most precious assets that no recession or government gamesmanship can take away – friends, family and love. Grandparents, of course, embody all three for many of us– in our memories, or at hand.

The impact of a grandparent’s love on a family cannot be overstated.  They serve as role model, mentor, playmate, historian, teacher of values and family traditions, good listener, and source of unconditional love – no wonder they’re tuckered at the end of a day with the grandkids!  

While they rarely ask for recognition, it’s a shame that we sometimes overlook the contributions that grandparents make in our daily lives. It goes without saying - none of us would be here without them.

In the Legislature this past November, I had the opportunity to touch on the importance of grandparents during debate of an NDP motion calling for the government to, “support Ontario’s grandparents and other temporary caregivers as they seek to work in the best interests of some of Ontario’s most vulnerable children.”

According to the motion, a McGuinty government directive of July, 2008, “eliminated grandparents’ eligibility for the Ministry of Community and Social Services Temporary Care Assistance provision” in situations where a grandparent has taken over temporary child-raising responsibilities.

Temporary Care Assistance (TCA) funding has, in the past, provided a minimum of $200 a month to help deal with the costs of raising a child.

Clearly, as they enter their senior years, and are suddenly tasked with covering child-rearing costs from already tight retirement funds, grandparents could use a hand-up from government.

Community and Social Services Minister Meilleur has indicated that grandparents who don’t receive assistance can apply for welfare. But the rules make it clear that those on a pension, or with assets including RRSP’s, would be ineligible for any funding.

Often children are with their grandparents in the first place because their parents have health, psychiatric or addiction problems. Often the grandparents are on fixed incomes and need help in meeting some of the costs of raising a child – medications, school activity fees, sports equipment, clothes.

Why would the McGuinty government take away a program from those who need it most.

At the end of last November, the Ministry issued a memorandum indicating, that: “The TCA policy guidelines were updated to provide enhanced information regarding the factors Administrators may consider in determining eligibility on a case-by-case basis.” And while NDP MPP Paul Miller has cited this as a victory, my call to the Minister’s office indicated the memorandum simply restates the conditions in the July directive.

These grandparents and other temporary caregivers work in the best interests of some of Ontario’s most vulnerable children. In 2009, the Government of Ontario could do well to ensure that those who have done so much to secure our future are themselves looked after. In my book, grandparents struggling to meet the needs of their extended family comes right near the top of the list.