I have great memories of the time I spent with my grandparents as a child. On weekdays, while my parents worked, both sets of grandparents shared an alternating schedule of babysitting me.  For families who live close to one another, those kinds of caregiving arrangements can be rewarding for everyone concerned – kids, grandparents, and parents.  
 
But although grandparents seldom anticipate having to raise their grandkids full-time, currently nearly 10,000 children in B.C. are being raised by their grandparents.  Taking on the responsibility for caring for their children’s children can be stressful, and the financial, emotional and legal issues can prove overwhelming. Grandparents acting as full-time caregivers for their grandchildren may have lots of unanswered questions, and not know where to turn for help.
 
Now, funding from the Ministry of Children and Family Development  for the establishment of a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Line and email support means that grandparents in BC can get the help and advice they need.  The phone line, operated by experienced advocates at the Parent Support Services Society of B.C.,  will help full-time caregivers understand their rights, their obligations and the benefits, supports, and resources available to them, as well as how to access those supports. Read More…

(Source: http://www.bccf.ca/)

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Line is staffed by two (part time) skilled workers with background and training in social work, advocacy, family law and government services pertaining to kinship caregiving.  They can be reached by phone: at 604-558-4740 (Lower Mainland) or 1-855-474-9777 (toll free anywhere in BC) or by email GRGline@parentsupportbc.ca.
 
The initial Support Line hours of operation will be 11:00am to 3:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. As the program develops, these hours will increase to include service 5 days a week.
 
(Source: www.firstcallbc.org)