Wider family matters
Chapter 10: Support groups
Many of the grandparents surveyed said that they would welcome the chance to get together with others in the same situation. The carers who had attended support groups found them to be of great value. Family Rights Group has produced an updated guide to setting up and running support groups. This is free to carers and has lots of information you may find useful. You might like to think about the following, and whether a support group is for you.
What can a support group provide?
The support groups that Family Rights Group has come into contact with do one or more of the following:
- Most importantly, the support group offers family and friends carers the chance to meet others in their situation, to have a good chat, and to have support through the more challenging times. Others in the support group can provide a wealth of practical and other knowledge, and can help you recharge your batteries.
- Some support groups invite guest speakers to talk about problems and issues relevant to carers. One group visited had just had a talk by a solicitor about residence orders, and another group invited their local county councillors along to hear about their situation, with a request that they do something about it!
- Some groups are organised on ethnic, religious or language lines or focus on specific issues such as alcohol and drug misuse.
Finding a support group
There are currently very few support groups in the country. Family Rights Group has a database containing details of current support groups. You might also want to contact your local Children's Services or library to see if they have any information.
Starting a support group
I would like to start a support group. How do I go about it?
Family Rights Group runs a telephone advice surgery for anybody interested in setting up a support group. Please click here for further details. There is also a published guide to help you get started.
If you are in contact with Children's Services, a children's or family centre, see if they would help you set up a support group and possibly advertise it. You will need to find a convenient and safe place to meet. A family or children's centre, school or community centre might be helpful in providing premises and helping you to advertise your group. For reasons of security we do not recommend you use your own home. Anyone who is in the position of organising or leading a support group should have a current enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check.
Some support groups have attracted new members through contacting their local newspaper and asking them to do an article about family and friends care.
A daytime meeting during school hours might be popular. If carers are going to bring small children, make sure that there are toys and a safe space for them. If you can organise it, a crèche will have the great advantage of allowing the group to talk undisturbed. Anyone working in the crèche must have an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check including a POCA (Protection of Children Act) List check.
It might be helpful to go along to an existing support group to see how it is run, and to hear how it got going in the early days. Details can be obtained from Family Rights Group or The Grandparents' Association. They can also put you in touch with other family or friends carers in your area.
Most groups start very small, perhaps with two or three carers at the first meeting. This is fine, and much more manageable than a big group. You can decide among yourselves what you want the purpose of the group to be, and how often you want to meet and where. You might want to consider the following at the first meetings:
- What will the group be called? Examples of other group names are, ‘Parents Again' and ‘Second Generation'.
- Do you want outside speakers, and if so on what subjects? What contacts do you have between you to arrange this? Who has the time and confidence to take it forward?
- How will you handle the group expenses? Members in one group pay £1 each a week, which covers refreshments and also pays for the children to have a treat a couple of times a year.
- Who will act as the organiser of the group?
Family Rights Group has produced an eight week support programme for grandparent support groups, entitled Here We Go Again(forthcoming 2010). It is also very relevant to other relative carers. The materials cover the legal, practical and emotional issues affecting carers and the children they are raising.
You may, alternatively, want to set up a telephone support group. This has, for example, been successful for a group of grandparents raising their grandchildren as a result of drug abuse by the parents. The charity also supports a very popular electronic discussion board for family and friends carers.
The support groups that Family Rights has been in touch with have been keen to welcome new members and offer advice to those wanting to get a group going. Please email cleaves@frg.org.uk for further information.
