Becoming a Kinship Carer – Education and Support Needs of Grandparents Who Are Parenting

Grandparent kinship carers have been found to have poor well-being and are often anxious about providing the best parenting support. This research worked with a group of grandparent kinship carers to discover their parenting needs with the aim of proposing parenting support. Using mixed methods the study found that a support system which addressed the specific needs of the children and the kinship carers, for example financial advice as well as coping with the children's complex behaviour, was preferred. A patchwork approach where individual groups of kinship carers could commission bespoke provision was proposed as being a preferable option.