Parenting is a job that seemingly never ends. Even once your child reaches adulthood, they will likely turn to you for advice to help when things get rough. Beyond that, once they have children of their own, you may find yourself fulfilling many of the same roles you once did as a parent for your new grandchildren.
Being part of your grandchildren’s lives can be a wonderful thing, especially if your child struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood. Unfortunately, there are situations in which the state of Pennsylvania could become involved with your child’s family.
Whether they have struggled with addiction or faced what the state believes were credible allegations of abuse or neglect, it’s possible for your child to lose their parental rights. When that happens, you may want to step up to provide kinship foster care for your grandchildren.
Pennsylvania tries to work with family members for foster placement
No one plans to have their child lose custody of their kids, and it can happen without very little warning in some cases. In other words, you may not have even had time to consider the process of becoming a foster parent when you find out that your grandkids need you to step up into a parental role.
Thankfully, Pennsylvania recognizes that minimizing the disruption for a family receiving services from the state is of the utmost importance for the children in the family. They will typically prioritize the placement of children in the foster situation that involves a family member, including grandparents. That special consideration is one reason why about 10% of grandparents play a major caregiver role in the lives of their grandkids.
Fostering your grandchildren gives you the legal authority to make decisions on their behalf and can connect you with resources that will make life easier for them and for you during this tumultuous time.