Family matters, too

Meet Lisa Vea. She's raising her 11-year-old nephew who has severe ADHD - and it's not easy. So, as the boy's legal guardian, she should get the same Government support that foster carers do, right? Not quite, as Gia Dumo discovers.
With the children at school, Lisa Vea's home is a sanctuary during the day. Only the faint tinkle of a bell on a kitten that's playing with the lace curtains ruffles the stillness.
On one wall, the morning sun casts a beam across a dozen happy family photos hung in no particular order. One of them is of Ms Vea's 11-year-old nephew, Temutu, who has been diagnosed with a severe case of ADHD and has been in her care legally for the last two years.
"It was very hard at first,'' says Ms Vea, adding that she and her two children, Jayden and Carolee, aged 14 and 9, had to move into this three-bedroom Glen Innes house after she took in Temutu to reduce occasional conflicts between the two boys.
"But, eventually, they sort of became friends, because they've known each other since they were little.''
With help from the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) Trust and an Unsupported Child's Benefit from the Ministry of Social Development, Ms Vea considers herself lucky.
More than 900 Aucklanders are in her position.
"For sure, I will take care of him for as long as I can,'' she says, her voice as calm as her blue eyes are serene.
Ms Vea took over from her mother as Temutu's caregiver after she could no longer cope with her grandson. Temutu's biological parents still have him to stay on regular occasions.
Ms Vea administers the boy's medication, attends to his special needs and attends monthly Grandparents Raising Grandchildren meetings in her area. In January, she felt rejuvenated after attending an annual picnic on the North Shore with about 180 other
kincarers and their wards.
"Since I decided to join GRG in the East Auckland area, I have never looked back. I have enjoyed the company and stories of other people just like myself and sometimes feel quite well off when I hear how much some of the other grandparents have struggled and fought through the stages it has taken to get where we are today,'' says Ms Vea.
The GRG Trust is a non-profit organisation supporting grandparents and other kin who are primary caregivers to children in difficult circumstances. It has a network of 45
support groups countrywide.
National convenor Diane Vivian says kin carers are undervalued and often chronically under-resourced. The circumstances children face range from parental violence, substance abuse, mental illness, neglect and, in some cases, the death of a parent.
"The most pressing need for grandparents now is finances and dealing with the children's many issues,'' says Ms Vivian.
For this reason, the trust continues to lobby for  Grandparents Raising Grandchildren to be eligible for ancillary payments for clothing, healthcare and education costs that are already available to foster carers.
"My dream for GRG is to be fully recognised by society in the role these grandparents have and for the stopping of discrimination of family caregivers as opposed to foster caregivers.
"Having raised two grandchildren myself, I know the sacrifices and the struggle of these amazing people - with little to no support.''
Grand support
The GRG Trust was founded in 1999 by Diane Vivian, who raised her traumatised grandchildren before support services were available. She is the national convenor of the trust, Grandparents and Kincare NZ based at Birkenhead.
There are 950 Aucklanders on the membership list of 4600 New Zealand-wide. A 2005
survey found grandparents raising children were in the age range of 40 to 91, with most of them in the 50- to 60-plus bracket. Another survey commissioned by the trust shows almost half of them care for their grandchildren for six to nine years, while a third do so for 10 years or longer. More than half the children were reported as having serious physical and psychological problems, but 86 per cent reported significant improvements over time under their grandparents' care.