Menores criados por sus abuelas. Mejora de la pautas de cuidado a menores en acogimiento familiar en familia extensa a través de un programa de intervención psicoeducativo

Abstract

In this research we have tried to describe the fostering kinship with grandparents as an alternative to living together in cases in which parents cannot play or stop playing their roles of main caregivers of their own children. This diversity ranges from multiproblematical and risky families, in which the situations of neglect and unprotection of minors prevail, to the care of minors due to more normalized causes (like parents death, divorce, etc.) The impact of this family situation on grandparents requires an special attention, due to problems related to the restructuring of roles, i.e. turning grandparents into substitute parents. The prevention of the emergence of negative consequences (burnout, depressive symptomatology, loss of social relations, financial problems, schooling problems, etc.) along with the promotion of positive consequences (relation with the grandchildren, etc.) will be analysed in our work. It is important to detect the need for psychosocial support, apart from other ways of support such as the instrumental one, and the need for formal and informal networks for the design of property ways of intervention on the part of institutions and social agents, as well.