Linda Rogers* was looking forward to retirement and slowing down in life when fate had other ideas.
Her adult daughter had her four children removed from her care by FaCS, and they were about to be farmed out to different foster homes.
Then her youngest adult daughter “got a bit lost for a while’’, so Mrs Rogers took in her seven-year-old, too.
The Sutherland Shire resident, 59, is now raising five children, ranging in age from 18 months to 13 years, full-time.
“I said, I don’t want them separated so I will keep them here,” she said.
“What do you do? You do what you have to do – they are my grandkids.”
I said, I don’t want them separated so I will keep them here. What do you do? You do what you have to do – they are my grandkids.
- Linda Rogers
Around 16,000 Australian grandparents are raising their grandchildren, a number that is rising.
Mrs Rogers is one of the 47 per cent of grandparents raising grandchildren without a partner and finding the going tough but rewarding.
“They’ve seen a lot, but they knew it wasn’t a very good situation that they were in before,” she said.
“For what they’ve gone through they are very well-adjusted kids.’’
When she took the children home she used all of her super savings to buy beds, clothing, school supplies and everything else that five children need.
“It was full-on – I literally had to start from scratch.
“I only have a smallish house so it gets very squashy at times but they’re safe, happy, they don’t go without. They don’t get all the nice things but they have all the necessities.”
Mrs Rogers said attending monthly grandparents support meeting at Orana Sutherland was invaluable for gaining knowledge and information.
“Before that I was in the dark,” she said.
She would like to see more financial help made available to grandparents who are using their life savings to raise their grandchildren.
“Financially I scrape through. “It is hard when all the bills come in - those months are really tight.”
Orana will hold a grandparents morning tea at their Sutherland office on Thursday, August 25 in conjunction with FaCS.
Grandparents raising grandchildren either full or part time are invited to have an informal discussion about their needs. Childcare is provided.
- Please RSVP to 95218280.
* Not her real name
