State adds to ‘kinship’ carers’ stress

State childcare services are compounding the distress suffered by grandparents who step in to care for their grandchildren because of their own children’s addiction, research has found.

Grandparents surveyed expressed “anger” at child protection services and said no issue was “more contentious” than access to State financial support, such as foster care and guardianship payments.

The research said that grandparents reported a range of adverse effects on themselves from the strain of taking on their grandchildren, including: