Gladstone James W, Brown Ralph A, Fitzgerald Kerri-Ann J
School of Social Work, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2009;69(1):55-78. doi: 10.2190/AG.69.1.d.
This qualitative study focuses on 22 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren and involved with child welfare agencies. We explored the tensions experienced by these grandparents, ways that child welfare agencies alleviate these tensions, and factors preventing grandparents from utilizing services. Tensions were grouped into 4 categories: feeling responsible for grandchildren; having limited financial resources; feelings toward the middle generation; and relationship with the child welfare agency. Grandparents received various types of support from child welfare agencies including help with child management, financial assistance, and emotional support. Factors discouraging utilization of services included the social worker's age, lack of trust, and agency policy. Our findings suggest that child welfare agencies need to examine their use of power and look at grandparents more as "consumers" than "clients," in order to fully engage them in the helping process.
这项定性研究聚焦于22位抚养孙辈并与儿童福利机构有接触的祖父母。我们探究了这些祖父母所经历的紧张状况、儿童福利机构缓解这些紧张状况的方式，以及阻碍祖父母利用服务的因素。紧张状况被归为四类：对孙辈负有责任；财政资源有限；对中间一代的感受；以及与儿童福利机构的关系。祖父母从儿童福利机构获得了各类支持，包括儿童管理方面的帮助、经济援助和情感支持。阻碍服务利用的因素包括社会工作者的年龄、缺乏信任以及机构政策。我们的研究结果表明，儿童福利机构需要审视其权力运用方式，更多地将祖父母视为“消费者”而非“客户”，以便让他们充分参与到帮助过程中。
