Support for Grandparents and Older Relatives Raising Children
More families than ever are being raised by a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, or an older cousin. It is rarely something anyone planned for, and it often begins in the middle of a crisis. Age Central’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program helps older relative caregivers across Fulton, Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford counties get the practical help, the relief, and the answers they need to keep their family together.
What Is Grandparents Raising Grandchildren?
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is part of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, funded under Title III-E of the Older Americans Act. Alongside supports for people caring for older adults, Title III-E specifically recognizes a second group of caregivers: grandparents and other older relatives who have taken on raising a child.
The program exists because these caregivers face a distinct set of challenges:
- They are raising a child again, often decades after they expected to
- They frequently have no legal relationship to the child, which can block decisions about school, medical care and benefits
- They usually take the child in suddenly, without time to prepare financially or practically
- They are often managing their own health conditions at the same time
You do not need to have legal custody or guardianship before you contact us. Many families call before anything has been formalized, and that is the right time to call.
How the Program Supports Families
Respite
Time away from caregiving so you can rest, attend your own medical appointments, or handle things you cannot get to while the children are with you.
Legal Assistance
Help understanding and pursuing the legal steps that give you authority to act for the child, including guardianship, school enrollment and medical consent. Age Central connects families to legal assistance rather than providing legal representation directly.
Caregiver Counseling
One-to-one support for the stress, grief and family conflict that often come with raising a relative’s child. Counseling is confidential.
Support Groups
Connection with other grandparents and older relatives in the same situation. Many caregivers tell us this is the first place they have found people who understand the specific position they are in.
Information and Access Assistance
Help finding and applying for the benefits, school services and community resources your family may qualify for, and help understanding which of them are worth your time.
Who Is Eligible?
Age Central’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren services are generally available to older relative caregivers who:
- Are age 55 or older
- Are a grandparent or other relative by blood, marriage or adoption
- Are the primary person raising a child aged 18 or younger, or a relative aged 19 to 59 with a disability
- Live in Fulton, Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell or Woodford County
- Are not the child’s parent
If you are not sure whether you qualify, call us. It costs nothing to ask, and we would rather tell you yes than have you assume the answer is no.
How the Program Works
1. Call us
Call 309-674-2071 and tell us what is happening. There is no form to complete first and no cost to talk to someone.
2. Assessment
We work through what your household actually needs, in person or by phone. This is a conversation, not an interrogation, and it covers the children’s needs and your own.
3. A plan built around your situation
Together we identify which supports you will use and in what order, because most families cannot take on everything at once.
4. Ongoing support
Your situation will change. Age Central stays available as it does, and the plan can be revisited whenever something shifts.
Why This Program Matters
Children raised by relatives generally keep their family, their name and their community. But the caregiver taking that on is frequently doing it with no warning, no legal standing and no additional income. Supporting that caregiver is the most direct way to keep the family together:
- Legal authority lets a caregiver enroll a child in school and consent to medical care
- Respite prevents the exhaustion that puts placements at risk
- Counseling and peer support reduce the isolation these caregivers consistently describe
- Benefits navigation can materially change a household’s finances
Other Programs That May Help
If you are also caring for an older adult, which happens more often than people expect, these may apply as well:
- Caregiver Support Program — the full range of Title III-E supports for family caregivers
- GUIDE Dementia Care Program — for families supporting someone living with dementia
- Veteran-Directed Care — for eligible Veterans who want to direct their own in-home support
How to Apply or Learn More
Phone: 309-674-2071
Email: info@agecentral.org
Address: 700 Hamilton Blvd, Peoria, IL 61603
Call and ask about Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. If we are not the right place, we will tell you who is.