Through the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Network Grandparents Plus runs regular events to give grandparents and other full-time carers the opportunity to meet each other and to access information and explore solutions to problems. Thanks to the support of the Big Lottery Fund a national day for Network members is organised annually with smaller local events taking place around the country.
Forthcoming events
- Celebration Day 2013 – Details coming soon!
Past events
- Leeds, April 2013
Up to 90 kinship carers and professionals from across Yorkshire attended this event organised by Grandparents Plus in partnership with The Grandparents Association. The event included four workshops which were designed to help kinship carers with raising their kinship children: ‘Anger Management in Children’; ‘Managing Your Own Emotions In Raising Your Kinship Children’; ‘Dealing With Contact’; and Understanding Attachment’. There was also a workshop on ‘Financial Support for Kinship Carers’ and another for professionals on ‘Sharing Best Practice to Support Kinship Carers In Times of Austerity’. Speakers and workshop leaders included Steve Walker, the Deputy Director of Leeds Children’s Services and Nigel Priestly and Rebecca Chapman from Ridley and Hall Solicitors.
- Celebration Day 2012
Nearly 200 kinship carers and their children had a fun day out at Gulliver’s Land, near Milton Keynes in a celebration to end our Month of Action.
- Kinship Carers’ Summit 2012
40 kinship carers were brought together with local and national politicians in Westminster, London. The summit was held on behalf of the Kinship Care Alliance as part of the Month of Action on Kinship care. The summit was attended by Tim Loughton MP, then Minister for Children and Families, and Cllr David Simmonds, Chair of the LGA Children and Young Peoples Board, as well as several council members with responsibility for children’s services.
- Manchester, January 2012
Around 60 kinship carers and professionals from across the north west attended this event, organised with the Valuing Older People Team from Manchester City Council. Workshops included the legal options for kinship carers, benefits advice, campaigning skills and what local authorities should be doing regarding kinship care policies.
- Newcastle, June 2011
Grandparents Plus organised an event in partnership with Newcastle Props, Sunderland More Than Grandparents, Escape Blyth, Families First Middlesbrough and Bridges Stockton. Around 50 family and friends carers and professionals gathered at the Assembly Rooms in central Newcastle, with speakers including top solicitor Nigel Priestley from Ridley and Hall, Meg Boustead, Head of Safeguarding at Sunderland Social Services and Kay Duffie, Chair of the North East Carers Forum.
- National Day 2010
In October 2010 over 120 carers and their children helped launch a new campaign,
‘What if we said no?’, in London. Network members met with MPs and other speakers and heard personal stories from grandparent carers while the children enjoyed a special party, which helped to give our Network members some respite from their caring duties.
You can take a look at some photos of the day on our Facebook page here
Read more about the event in our Newsletter here
Support the ‘What if we said no?’ campaign here
- London, September 2010
London event organised with Adfam, which was attended by around 50 family and friends carers and professionals.
- National Day 2009
In October 2009 we worked with our partners in the Kinship Care Alliance to organise a lobby of parliament for members of our Network. Click here for more information.
- Tower Hamlets, London, May 2009
Tower Hamlets event, held at the Brady Centre in Whitechapel, east London.
- Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, February 2009
Organised in partnership with Hetty’s.
- The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Network launch event took place in Liverpool on 7 March 2008, where130 grandparents called for a universal non-means tested benefit to be paid for each child being raised by a grandparent.
Check our website for details of further events later in the year or join the GRG Network to receive information direct.
We also hold research seminars and stakeholder events.
