Advocacy, Support,
Grandparents, and
Guardianship
There are many organizations and networks willing to help guardians, grandparents, caregivers and educators of Wyoming.
Helpful Organizations:
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Kinship Connections of Wyoming is a free service to grandparents, relatives and other caregivers who are raising children that are not their own.
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A statewide group of stakeholders, including families of children with disabilities, that advises the Wyoming Department of Education in ways that promote services for children and youth with disabilities.
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For the past 30+ years, CSP has been the only waiver provider association in the State of Wyoming. Previously known as Regional Service Providers, they are active in providing grassroots advocacy and legislative education for waiver providers.
Downloadable Resources:
WY Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Handbook
In a perfect world, parents raise their children in their own homes, and grandparents have the privilege and joy of spoiling their grandchildren—and then sending them back home to their parents! Well, it is not a perfect world that we live in, and more and more grandparents find themselves in the position of part-time, temporary, full-time, or permanent primary caregivers and/or guardians for their grandchildren.
This national situation is not limited to a certain geographical area or to any particular population. Every year more and more grandparents of all ages and from all ethnic and socio-economic groups are becoming primary caregivers for their grandchildren. The need to communicate with these praiseworthy grandparents is vital because raising children today is not the same as it was when most grandparents were raising their own children. Laws, social services and resources, education, medical care, insurance coverage, and child care have all undergone significant changes. Many of today’s grandparents have been “out of the loop” when it comes to knowing where to go for help while raising children in the 21st century.
Of course, needs vary from family to family. Some need legal assistance; others may need counseling, information about child care, special services for special needs children, medical and insurance resources, financial assistance, and support groups. Some grandparents may need assistance in all of these areas. Finding help may take some time and effort, but it does not have to be difficult. This publication is designed to make your search easier and to provide you with the assurance that help is available from many different sources.
Regardless of the reasons grandparents are raising their grandchildren, and whatever their specific needs, all grandparents in this situation have one thing in common: They seek to provide a loving, safe, stable environment and a solid foundation from which their grandchildren can grow, and they are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to do just that.