ABSTRACT
In a previous chapter we considered the many benefits associated with grandparents having warm relationships with their grandchildren, focusing on the most common family situation in which grandparents and grandchildren do not live in the same household. Do these same benefits apply when grandparents become the major carer for a grandchild or grandchildren? Although this is still a fairly uncommon (but changing) situation in developed nations, it is one aspect of grandparenting that has been heavily researched. In this chapter we discuss the family circumstances leading to grandparents taking a parenting role and review the literature on outcomes for children and grandparents in these ‘norm-violating’ family situations. Research concerning this topic variously refers to these grandparents as custodial or primary carers of their grandchildren, or grandparents raising grandchildren. Their households are described as ‘skipped-generation’, ‘grandparent-led’ or ‘multigenerational grandparent-led’ depending on the sample accessed.
