What are hundreds of grandparents saying about their experience of kinship care? 

Join our free online panel to hear researchers discuss the key messages from grandparent kinship carers and the implications for policy and practice. 

Kinship care has now become the most prominent and preferred option for children in out-of-home care above foster care and residential care, and most of these kinship placements are with the child’s grandparents.  

But what is it like to be a grandparent navigating complex family dynamics, modern care issues, and unfamiliar admin requirements in an unfamiliar service system? Findings suggest that alongside the joys of watching their grandchildren play and grow, many grandparent carers experience stress and distress associated with complex family relationships. 

In this discussion panel, co-researchers who are kinship carers discuss the latest findings of their study, the key issues faced by kinship carers, and what can be done to improve how systems listen to and support grandparent kinship carers providing love, safety, and family connection for our children in out-of-home care. 

Panellists: 
Professor Lynne McPherson is a kinship carer and the inaugural Chair of Out-of-Home Care Research, leading the development of a high-quality program of research that builds new knowledge and sector-wide cultural transformation in out-of-home care practice in Australia. As Deputy Director of Centre for Children and Young People, Southern Cross University, Lynne is recognised for her distinctive research in approaches to out-of-home care, child sexual abuse, and children’s rights. 

Noel Macnamara is a kinship carer and the Deputy Director of the CETC and the Executive Manager, Research and Policy at the Australian Childhood Foundation. Noel has worked in child protection, child abuse and family violence across his career as a social worker, operational manager, organisational consultant, and child rights advocate. Noel has written extensively in national and international journals and practice literature and organisational leaders and regularly facilitates training and community practices for therapeutic specialists.  

Dr Kylie Day is a kinship carer and an Aboriginal scholar at Southern Cross University’s Gnibi College. Her research focuses on Indigenous Knowledge, Pedagogy, and the Rights of Aboriginal Children in Child Services. In 2023, Kylie was awarded a Doctor of Indigenous Philosophies (DIP) at Southern Cross University. Her thesis was commended for fostering culturally strong and proud learners and for its attention to methodological rigour and ethical engagement with Aboriginal Elders. This work underscores her commitment to culturally grounded, impactful research.  

Sue Erben is an experienced grandparent/kinship carer who is a strong advocate for the rights of kinship carers and their kin. Sue is the founder and moderator of the national online support group “Australian Grandparent/Kinship carers”. This group now has more than 3000 active members. Sue believes that no child should be discriminated against based on where they were born, who they were born to or who cares for them. Sue is a fierce advocate for change and dreams of a system where all kinship carers are supported and safe.  

Research Article (Open Access): Australian Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Understanding the Complexities of Intergenerational and Vicarious Trauma

Please note: all course and workshop times are displayed in Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra time zones. Please ensure you convert the time to your current time zone. 

Professionals and carers who live with or work with children and young people in kinship care.