Grandparents Plus
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| Grandparents Plus | |
|---|---|
| Name | Grandparents Plus |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Type | Charity |
| Headquarters | London |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
| Key people | Patricia Hewitt, Gordon Brown, Theresa May |
Grandparents Plus is a United Kingdom charity that supports kinship carers, kinship families, and related policy development. It advocates for grandparents and wider family members who provide full-time care for children, engaging with institutions such as Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, and civic actors including Barnardo's, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Citizens Advice and local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The organisation links practice, research and policy, interacting with think tanks like Institute for Public Policy Research, Resolution Foundation, Institute for Fiscal Studies and academic centres at University of Oxford, University College London, London School of Economics and University of Manchester.
Overview
Grandparents Plus operates at the intersection of service provision, advocacy and research, offering peer support, information, and policy advice to stakeholders including Ofsted, Childline, Coram Family, Action for Children and legal actors such as Law Society of England and Wales and the Family Rights Group. The charity engages with legislators and ministers across administrations including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Rishi Sunak to shape statutory instruments, welfare measures and benefits guidance administered through HM bodies like Her Majesty's Treasury and agencies such as HM Revenue and Customs.
History and Development
Founded in 2001, the organisation emerged amid debates following high-profile inquiries and policy reports involving child welfare actors such as Every Child Matters, Munro Review of Child Protection and campaigns led by charities like Barnardo's and NSPCC. Early work intersected with legal reforms influenced by cases overseen in courts like the Family Division and legislative frameworks shaped in sessions at the Palace of Westminster. It expanded services during welfare reforms under cabinets of Gordon Brown and David Cameron, responding to shifts linked to policies from Department for Work and Pensions and fiscal measures in annual budgets presented by successive Chancellors including Alistair Darling and George Osborne.
Services and Programs
The charity provides helplines, peer support groups and guidance for kinship carers navigating welfare benefits such as the Child Benefit and entitlements affected by regulations from Department for Work and Pensions. It offers training and resources for professionals in local authorities, family courts and voluntary organisations including Coram, Family Rights Group and legal clinics at universities like University of Bristol and University of Edinburgh. Programmes have included partnerships with community organisations such as Age UK, Royal Society for Public Health and networks tied to research projects at King's College London and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Governance and Funding
The organisation is governed by a board of trustees drawn from sectors including social policy, law and healthcare, interacting with bodies like Charity Commission for England and Wales and funders including trusts such as Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Nuffield Foundation and philanthropic donors associated with institutions like Wellcome Trust and Barrow Cadbury Trust. It has received project grants and commission work from public bodies such as Department for Education and collaborations with foundations attached to universities including London School of Economics and industrial partners involved in corporate social responsibility initiatives with organisations like BT Group and Barclays.
Impact and Research
Research outputs and policy briefings have been produced in collaboration with academics from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University College London and applied researchers at National Children’s Bureau and Institute for Public Policy Research. Findings have informed parliamentary debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords, influenced statutory guidance and have been cited by committees such as the Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensions and cross-party groups on family policy. The charity’s data and case studies have been used by journalists at outlets like BBC News, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Financial Times and The Independent.
Criticism and Controversies
Critiques have arisen concerning advocacy priorities, funding sources and representativeness, with commentators from think tanks including Institute for Fiscal Studies, Policy Exchange and stakeholders such as local authority associations and unions like Unison questioning resource allocation and policy recommendations. Debates have occurred in parliamentary inquiries and media coverage by organisations such as BBC News, Channel 4 News and newspapers including The Times and Daily Mail over impacts of welfare reform, statutory duties and the balance between kinship care and foster care systems managed by bodies like Ofsted and local safeguarding partnerships.