Success StoryRelatives as Parents Support Group



Relatives as Parents Support Group

Author: M. Elizabeth Coots

Planning Unit: Shelby County CES

Major Program: Grandparents and Grandchildren Together

Plan of Work: Developing Life Skills

Outcome: Initial Outcome

The Woodford County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences partnered with the Woodford County Public School Family Resource Coordinators to offer a monthly support group for relatives raising children, mostly grandparents raising grandchildren. According to Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, 6% of children throughout the Commonwealth are in the care of grandparents and other relatives – the highest in the nation. This statistic does not include those situations that are unreported, which would make the figure much higher. The main reason for these relatives to be in the situation of raising the child is due to the child’s biological parent using drugs and/or alcohol resulting in the inability to parent a child. Other reasons include death, incarceration, financial struggles, and unfit living environments. The relative raising the child is faced with many unique challenges for parenting a child who not biologically theirs. The purpose of the monthly support group is to aid in their ability and confidence to successfully parent given their situation. Surveys were distributed through the school system to caregivers identified by the Family Resource Coordinators to gather information about this population. From the results, the majority of the parents had been caring for one or more elementary-aged children for more than a year. Topics of concern from the survey included legal issues, dealing with child’s biological parents, helping child cope with understanding the situation/feelings, and self-help. Professionals in these areas were invited to lead support groups based on these findings, with each meeting having a specific topic.






Stories by M. Elizabeth Coots


Family Garden & Cooking Kit Giveaways

about 3 years ago by M. Elizabeth Coots

The COVID-19 Pandemic demonstrates the fragility of our food system. Although plenty of food is bein... Read More


Field to Fork: Workshop and Agent Training

about 3 years ago by M. Elizabeth Coots

Preparing and cooking wild game is an important skill that hunters need to know about, and more than... Read More


Stories by Shelby County CES


Super Star Chef

about 3 years ago by Sheila Fawbush

The mission of the Super Star Chef series is to provide a fun and educational experience for youth t... Read More


Strengthening Extension's Outreach and Impact for Horse Owners

about 3 years ago by Corinne Belton

Educational programs that strengthen production skills of agriculture operations in Shelby County ar... Read More