Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren need greater help to access government payments, legal aid and other support services, says the Human Rights Commission, who fears that the group is ''falling through the gaps''.
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Human Rights Commission President Gillian Triggs will appear before a Senate inquiry on Friday that is investigating the challenges facing grandparents who take primary responsibility for raising their grandchildren, when parents are unable or unwilling to do so.
Professor Triggs said that a key issue for these grandparents was not knowing what support was available to them.
She said that an NGO or government body should be funded to consolidate all the information and practical support that grandparent carers may need – from access to respite to child care and peer support groups.
''Our concern is that grandparents [who raise their grandchildren] are simply falling through the gaps,'' Professor Triggs said.
Research by the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in 2013 found that grandparent-headed families are more likely to be financially disadvantaged.
More than 50 per cent of respondents to a survey by the Centre reported that at least one of their grandchildren had physical problems and more than 80 per cent had emotional or behavioural problems. More than 60 per cent of grandparents surveyed also reported that their own health had deteriorated as a result of taking care of their grandchildren.
Professor Triggs said that while better data collection was needed on grandparents who care for their grandchildren, at an anecdotal level, the situation was worsening.
In its submission to the inquiry, the commission notes that grandparents can be unwilling to access benefits because they may fear repercussions from their children and may be hesitant about formalising their care arrangements because of legal costs or an unwillingness to exacerbate family tensions.
It is recommending that the entitlement and application procedures for Commonwealth benefits are reviewed and amended ''to ensure grandparents are receiving the financial support they are entitled to'' and that Centrelink boosts the number of its grandparents advisers.
The Commission is also calling for states and territories to review their legal aid rules to ensure that grandparents – who may own an asset like a family home – can qualify. And that the federal government and the states investigate non-court based options for recognising information grandparent carers, so they can access information (such as medical and school records) about their grandchildren.
The inquiry, which began in December, is due to report back in September.
