By Dr. Schola Matovu | Nursing Professor | Nurse Scientist | Director of Global Learning and Engagement
When people hear the phrase child welfare system, they often think about foster care, social workers, courts, and government agencies.
What they may not think about is a grandmother helping with homework at the kitchen table.
Or a grandfather picking up a child after school.
Or an older adult postponing a medical appointment because school supplies need to be purchased first.
Yet across the United States, millions of grandparents are raising grandchildren.
Many entered this role unexpectedly.
Many are doing it with limited resources.
And many remain largely invisible within the systems that depend on them.
The more I learn about grandparent caregiving, the more convinced I become that we are overlooking one of the most important caregiving infrastructures in our society.
The Hidden System
When families experience challenges such as parental substance use, incarceration, economic hardship, or mental health crises, grandparents often become the safety net.
They prevent disruptions.
They provide stability.
They preserve family connections.
And they help children remain connected to culture, community, and family identity.
In many ways, they are doing exactly what society hopes families will do.
Yet much of this work occurs outside the visibility of formal systems.
The Cost of Stepping Up
The public benefits are substantial.
Children often remain with family.
Communities maintain stability.
States avoid costly foster care placements.
But beneath these benefits lies a different reality.
Many grandparent-caregivers absorb significant financial burdens.
Retirement savings are redirected toward raising children.
Healthcare needs are delayed.
Fixed incomes stretch further than intended.
What appears to be a family solution is often supported by enormous personal sacrifice.
The Policy Problem
One of the most striking lessons is that many systems were not designed with grandparent caregivers in mind.
Support programs frequently assume parents are the primary caregivers.
Eligibility rules can unintentionally exclude grandparents.
Legal guardianship processes can be expensive and difficult to navigate.
Family leave programs may not recognize their caregiving responsibilities.
As a result, caregivers often find themselves moving between agencies, requirements, and programs that rarely communicate effectively with one another.
This is not necessarily a problem of commitment.
It is a problem of alignment.
What We Are Learning
One lesson continues to emerge.
Grandparent caregivers are not a temporary phenomenon.
They are a permanent part of our caregiving infrastructure.
When we fail to design systems around this reality, we create unnecessary challenges for both caregivers and children.
Better support is not simply about adding more services.
It is about recognizing who is already providing care and ensuring systems work for them.
Why This Matters Beyond Child Welfare
This issue touches multiple sectors:
- Child welfare
- Aging services
- Healthcare
- Workforce participation
- Economic stability
- Education
Grandparent caregiving is not just a family matter.
It is a population health issue.
It is an aging issue.
It is a policy issue.
And ultimately, it is a community well-being issue.
What We Are Building Toward
The goal is not merely helping grandparents survive.
The goal is helping families thrive.
That requires coordinated policies that recognize grandparent caregivers as essential contributors rather than exceptions.
Because when grandparents are supported:
- Children experience greater stability.
- Families become stronger.
- Communities benefit.
- Systems function more effectively.
Final Takeaway
Grandparents have already stepped up.
The question is whether policy and systems will step up with them.
Because caregiving may begin at home.
But sustaining caregiving requires support that extends far beyond the home.
Reflection Question If grandparent caregivers are holding families together, what responsibility do communities and policymakers have to help hold them up?