Australian Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Understanding the Complexities of Intergenerational and Vicarious Trauma

Grandparents have a long history of assuming caregiving responsibilities, particularly in Indigenous communities, where the concepts of “kin” and “care” are expansive. In Australia, there has been a rise in grandparents becoming custodial carers for their grandchildren who cannot live with their parents, biological or otherwise. Placement with relatives or family friends is known as kinship care, with most of these families headed by grandparents raising grandchildren. Children being raised by kin are widely considered the preferred option compared to nonrelative institutional or foster care, as kinship care provides a connection to family, community, and culture and fosters a sense of belonging and identity, while also offering the potential for stable living arrangements. This paper reports on an Australian study involving 428 grandparent carers sharing their experiences of caring for their grandchildren as survey respondents, with nine of those carers participating in an individual in-depth interview. Findings suggest that the pleasure of watching their grandchildren grow was a privilege for many. Alongside this privilege, many experienced multiple and complex levels of stress, distress and trauma, exacerbated by a service system that did not appear to want to hear or understand. Implications for policy, practice and further research are highlighted.