Around 10,000 children are missing out on state financial assistance because they are under their grandparent's care, says the founder of a trust for grandparents raising their grandchildren.
TV ONE's Close Up last night spoke to pensioners Roger and Teresa Van Kuylenburg who took on the job of raising six of their grandchildren five years ago after the children's mother was deemed unfit to care for them.
The Van Kuylenburgs receive between $162 and $195 per child, per week but the children are not entitled to other benefits they would get if they'd stayed on CYF books or gone into foster care.
The children miss out on weekly pocket money of up to $14.20, birthday and Christmas allowances of up to $97.98, and an annual clothing allowance of up to $1645.44 as well as help with school, sports and health costs.
Diane Vivian, founder of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust, told TV ONE's Breakfast this morning there are nearly 5000 members on the trust's database.
That equates to approximately 10,000 children being cared for by their grandparents, Vivian estimates.
She says these grandparents are being discriminated against because they are expected to struggle with the extra financial pressures.
"It took us nine years to get parity with the basic foster care rate but it's the add-ons that make the difference," said Vivian.
"That's what puts food on the table, that's what educates the children, that's what clothes the children."
The trust is putting in a submission on the Green Paper, recommending how the state can better help these grandparents.
Not only do the children they care for not get those "add-ons" but older people are also less able to work.
"As they're older, they indeed find it very difficult to go out and find work.
"So they may be on their pension and all of a sudden into the mix comes one, up to 10 grandchildren."
Vivian says the community also fails to recognise what these grandparents are doing.
"It was always a hidden under-belly of society, if you like, because there was a lot of shame attached to it - 'what my child did to the grandchildren'."
She says not only are the grandparents grieving the failure of their own children, but they are also grieving the loss of their retirement.
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