Grandparents Plus


Grandparents Plus is a national charity for England and Wales that supports and campaigns on behalf of the 200,000 grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and other relatives who are raising children in Britain today because their parents cannot look after them. This is often because of very difficult family circumstances, including parental death, disability, serious illness, drug or alcohol abuse, imprisonment or domestic violence. Relatives who are raising children from within the wider family are known as kinship carers.
The charity is funded by The Big Lottery to provide advice, information and a peer support network for kinship carers.
It publishes research and campaigns for improved support and recognition, both for kinship carers and for the millions of grandparents in the UK who provide childcare, arguing that both groups are undervalued economically

History

The organisation was co-founded in 2001 by Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington and the charity’s Co-Chair, Jean Stogdon OBE, a social services manager and Guardian Ad Litem. It is based in The Young Foundation, Bethnal Green, London. The Chief Executive is Lucy Peake.

Reports