Orange grandparents who care for their grandchildren have hit out at the lack of support they are offered by welfare agencies.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Grandparents Who Care Support Group was formed in Orange earlier this year to provide support for carers and begin lobbying for a better deal.
The plight of grandparent carers was highlighted in the Central Western Daily this week in which a grandmother caring for her three grandchildren aged 6-13 after they were removed from their drug-using parents, said she was desperate for help.
Group organisers Judy Skipper and Meg Rayner, who both care for their grandchildren, said the situation was unfair as grandparents who cared for their own grandchildren received less welfare assistance than other carers.
I'm not entitled to any financial help. It's just my pension.
- Judy Skipper, grandparent carer
Ms Rayner said that if she was a foster carer she could be receiving up to $1700 a fortnight.
"It is so different to fostering. We give up our life," she said.
Ms Skipper said she was missing out on up to $560 a fortnight in financial aid and about 50 hours of respite care.
"I'm not entitled to any financial help. It's just my pension," she said.
"[We] need ongoing support. It's demoralising. I've worked all my life."
She said they were also not happy with how welfare agencies handled their cases.
"It's not straightforward. You get a case worker and then they leave," she said.
They are willing to put their retirement on hold to raise their grandchildren.
- Sue Brown, Orange Family Support Service
Ms Skipper said it took time for replacement case workers to be aware of individual cases which affected the level of support grandmothers received.
The group currently has four grandmothers involved but she said they knew there were more in the Orange community needing help.
"We want the more people we have to be involved. I believe the number of grandparents raising grandchildren, and I believe it is mainly grandmothers, is huge. And Orange is one of the biggest," she said.
The next meeting of the grandparents support group is at 10am on Friday May 3 at the Orange Family Support Service at 211 March Street.
Call 6361 1004 for information about joining the group.
Case manager for OFSS Sue Brown said there was a growing need for support for grandparent carers.
"They love their grandchildren and they wouldn't have it any other way, they are willing to put their retirement on hold to raise their grandchildren," she said.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...
David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
