If you are a grandparent in Indiana who either has custody of your grandchildren or who is seeking how to get custody of your grandchildren, it can be helpful for you to know that you are not alone. Certainly, most people do not assume that they will need to raise their grandchildren but there can be many situations that necessitate this. These include the premature death of a parent, substance abuse, mental illness and more. Regardless of the reason, grandparents can and often do step in to provide the stability and support children need.
As explained by Grandfamilies.org, more than 110,000 children under the age of 18 lived with their grandparents in Indiana as of the spring of 2017. That accounts for seven percent of all kids statewide.
A whopping eight out of 10 households led by grandparents were of Caucasian descent and another 13% were African American. Hispanic and Latino grandfamilies accounted for five percent. Almost 38% of grandfamilies did not have one of the children’s parents living with them. While six out of 10 grandparents still worked, almost 20% were identified as poor or in poverty. The majority of grandparents raising grandchildren were in their 50’s or younger and nearly one out of three were either single, divorced or widowed.
If you would like to learn more about how to protect yourself and your grandchildren so you can appropriately care for them and be involved in their development and rearing, please feel free to visit the grandfamilies assistance page of our Indiana family law and grandparents’ rights website.