Grandparents for Grandchildren SA

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:32): I am very proud to rise today to speak about an extraordinary group of South Australians: the 3½ thousand-odd grandparents who care full time for their grandchildren. This is a group of people who, without any expectation of reward or recognition, give their love, time and energy every day to their grandchildren.

This is a group of people who, through some very difficult circumstances, have often been traumatised by challenges their own children face and, whilst dealing with their grief, worry and care about their own children, selflessly take on the additional responsibility of caring full time for their grandchildren. They do so with little formal support. They are, however, committed to supporting one another and are generously supported, empowered and advocated for by Grandparents for Grandchildren.

Grandparents for Grandchildren state that they began as a small group of concerned grandparents who met in a lounge room to discuss ways to support their grandchildren in their care and to provide support for one another. The group was subsequently offered a small shared office space in the Torrens Building to continue their important work. The group was frustrated with the responsibility of being primary carers of their grandchildren whilst being unable to make fundamental decisions in relation to their grandchildren's education, health, wellbeing, care and other matters.

Grandparents for Grandchildren now meet all over our state. I had the pleasure of meeting with one of their many groups last week in our southern community. I went to their meeting to talk with them about what they need advocacy and assistance on and to offer support where I could and to listen to them—and listen I did.

In listening, I was touched, upset and deeply worried by what they expressed to me. Every one of them spoke of their heartbreak at the challenges their children faced and every one of them spoke about their steadfast commitment to giving their much loved grandchildren the best possible support they could. They had opened their homes and their hearts and, without thought for their own wellbeing, acted as a parent in every aspect of their grandchildren's lives.

I have spoken in this place about the issues that foster carers confront in their dealings with this government. Those issues are significant and ongoing. Grandparent carers are classed as informal carers. The issues they experience through their dealings with the minister through her department are also significant and ongoing.

From these grandparents, I heard of an overwhelming sense of being treated unfairly, of being communicated with very poorly, of feeling taken for granted and of being alarmed at how matters crucial to their grandchildren's wellbeing were handled. One grandparent spoke about making more than 45 reports to the Child Abuse Report Line before the risk posed to their grandchildren was addressed. Others, as I have directly communicated with the minister about, spoke about having seen their grandchildren who were supposed to be in residential care of the minister and her department out late at night with adults.

Many spoke about an utter lack of communication afforded to them when their grandchildren were in residential care. Many advised that they had spent all their life savings, their superannuation, on court fees on matters pertaining to their interactions with DCP. Others shared how confronting it was to be simply left with their grandbabies with utterly no support from DCP whatsoever.

One grandparent spoke about the positive relationship that they had had with their grandchild, only to have that child then placed with a kind foster carer without any adequate communication from DCP. Another advised that they were utterly worn out from advocating and advocating and advocating for additional support for their grandchild with disability and of that support simply not ever being forthcoming.

A common thread that brought many of those in the room to tears was how much better they wanted for their grandchildren and how little this government was doing to support that fervent, shared wish. They described communication with the government as utterly wanting in compassion, kindness and understanding.

Grandparents caring full time for grandchildren deserve to be cared for too. They deserve to be seen, heard and have their understanding of and care for their grandchildren respected. They are often the difference between young children who have already faced much trauma, dealing with even more severe challenges, and those children living full productive lives in homes where they are loved. Grandparents caring for grandchildren deserve so much better. I am certainly committed to advocating however I can for as long as it takes to ensure that they are indeed treated better.

Time expired.