Grandparent-led Families in James Bay
By Kealey Pringle
Coordinator, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Services Project

Grandparents are vital to family and community. But what happens when grandparents are raising their grandchildren, being parents a second time around? In Victoria we are seeing a growing number of families where the grandparents are stepping in to raise their grandchildren. In 2001, according to StatsCan, there were 56,000 grandparent-led families in Canada and 8,700 in BC - double the number from five years before. In the spring, James Bay will see the birth of a new support group for grandparents raising their grandchildren.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Circle is a free weekly support group for grandparents to come together in an accepting and non-judgmental atmosphere to share joys and successes, vent frustrations and get resources. Grandparents are offered information through presentations by guest speakers from the legal, health and parenting communities, and are given access to other resources. Until now, there has been only one support circle for grandparents. It has been meeting in Saanich for the last six years with the same two dedicated volunteer group co-facilitators, Gudrun and Eileen.

Support Circles have two co-facilitators whose role is one of support. People who are interested in facilitating a support circle are given facilitator training at no cost, and ongoing support and expenses. Training includes: communication and facilitation skills; child development and parenting skill information; child abuse awareness and prevention; and cultural awareness and inclusion. The Grandparent Support Circle in James Bay needs one more facilitator to be trained and grandparents to join in order to start meeting. The next facilitator training takes place March 2, 3 and 4th. Applications are now being accepted. Contact Parent Support Services at 384-8042.

Gudrun and Eileen, our current facilitators, are constantly reminded of the huge impact of this support through the words of the grandparents, “It really helps; you are not alone, and it gives you the opportunity to talk about your real feelings.” The grandparents benefit from support and information sharing from the other grandparents and the facilitators. One grandparent put it like this, “I can share with other grandparents that really understand. We help each other in all kinds of useful ways. The facilitators are really supportive and helpful.”

In Victoria, five organizations are guiding this project with financial assistance from the United Way: Parent Support Services, James Bay Community Project, Intercultural Association, Single Parent Resource Centre and Capital Families. These organizations are focusing their energy on developing community support for both grandparents and grandchildren through awareness, education and the development of support circles for grandparents raising their grandchildren.

If you are interested in volunteering for a grandparent or parent support circle, or participating, contact Parent Support Services at 384-8042 or parent-support@shaw.ca.