Who we are is less important than what we do. Read about how our services have impacted the families and communities we work with. 

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Telling Our Stories (27:17 min Documentary)

The documentary Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Telling Our Stories provides a glimpse into the realities faced by several grandparent-led families from across BC. These grandparents didn’t plan to be full-time caregivers at this later stage in their lives. Their stories are varied, but many of the threads are the same: loss, isolation, grief, hardship, love and determination. The grandchildren are their priority and they need and deserve, love, stability and all the support possible to ensure they can succeed in life. “This documentary will make you laugh, make you cry, and we hope, make you think.” Watch this powerful and emotionally charged 27:17 min documentary.

The State of Kinship Care in BC

A major study into kinship care in BC was carried out 2019-2020.  Parent Support Services Society conducted this research in partnership with the University of Northern BC (UNBC). We learned from grandparents raising their grandchildren and other relatives raising a relative’s child across BC. A survey was distributed, and focus groups and interviews were held across the province.

Download the full report here:
Kinship Care Profile – The State of Kinship Care in BC

Who conducted this study?

Steering Committee Members
Susan Burke – UNBC School of Social Work
Jane Bouey – Project Manager, Parent Support Services of BC.
Carol Madsen – Executive Director, Parent Support Services of BC
Louise Costello – Board of Directors, Parent Support Services Society of BC
Glen Schmidt – UNBC School of Social Work
Michelle Reid – Nicola Valley Institute of Technology – Social Work
Patricia Barkaskas – Indigenous Communities Legal Clinic – UBC School of Law

How this research might benefit you:

The goal of this research is to directly inform social policy and practice changes and legal reform for kinship caregivers.

Who funded this study:

This research was funded by The Permanency and Adoption Fund of the Victoria Foundation, the Vancouver Foundation, Parent Support Services Society of BC, and the Law Foundation of BC.

2020

Grandparents and the Pandemic

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Kinship Care
Interview with PSS’s Jane Bouey and Carol Madsen on Co-op Radio’s Both Sides Now with Bernadine Fox

2019

BC Budget Announcement

Grandparents Day
Vancouver Courier
Prince George (CKPG Today)

2018

Prince George
Radio – The Goat
Radio – CKPG

Lower Mainland
Print 
Print
Radio

Provincial
TV – CTV Begins at 11:14
Radio
Online – BC Council of Families

2017

Victoria Program Coordinator Annette De Boer – live interview with Oak Bay News
Kamloops Connector Story – Connector_Sept17_GRG-story
New Westminster Record – Celebrate-Grandparents-Day-in-the-Royal-City
CFRO 100.5 FM – Interview with Carol Madsen

Telling Our Stories
Media coverage of the 2015 launch of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:
Grandparent Bernadine and her grandchild Ace on Radio Canada TV discussing our documentary Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Telling Our Stories
Watch video

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Interview
Jane Bouey of Media Mornings interviews Vanessa Iafolla about Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, the financial challenges they face, and her groundbreaking research.
Listen Now

You can view more of our Kinship Care Specific Resources on the resources page 

Parent Support Services Makes A Difference

“The most comfortable place for exploring and finding better ways in dealing with present challenges; with our mutual knowledge and experience we are stabilizing and reinforcing the platform from which our children can lead in the future with more self-confidence, love and understanding.”

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