Grandmothers as kinship caregivers: private arrangements compared to public child welfare oversight

This study examined 373 grandmothers providing full care for their grandchild(ren) informally (private kinship care) and 208 awarded custody through the child welfare system (public kinship care). Public kinship caregivers were 2.7 times more likely to provide care because of parental drug use and almost 60% more likely because of child neglect. Private kinship caregivers had provided care for a longer time and were more apt to share decision-making with the child's parent. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of private grandmother caregivers-over 40%-assumed care because of maternal drug use or neglect of their grandchild. Findings imply that child welfare successfully targets families at risk, although many private providers have similar problems and service needs. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.