Group

Organizing a support group could be a great experience or a very discouraging one. Coordinating peer support groups can be rewarding when you find and work with people that have common concerns and situations.  The key to a positive support group is good planning. Considering the who, what, when, and where are important first steps.

             What is the reason for forming the support group?  It has been noted there are currently no grandparents raising grandchildren support groups in the county of Allegany, New York.  Data has been collected that has indicated that there are approximately 100 grandparents within this county raising grandchildren due to non-participating or absent parents.  The considerations for the forming of this group are to support those families in need.  The grandparents of these families have realized that they have made a conscious choice to raise their grandchildren.  This commitment has come at a very high price for them.  They have realized that “retirement “now is only a dream and they have taken on tremendous responsibilities both emotionally and financially. By keeping these factors in mind, a mission statement is formulated.  The mission statement for this support group is “making a difference in the lives of grandparents raising their grandchildren by sharing concerns, experiences and solutions within their own neighborhoods”.

           The functioning of a good support group is having good attendance and active members of the group.  There are many steps to take to ensure success.

Determine:

           Who is welcome to attend the meetings?  Both grandparents and their grandchildren are welcome to attend this meeting, working together for a common cause.  Preparation to include the children at meeting times is crucial.  Grandparents live on limited income and need respite care for the children and if children are not included in the meeting times, then grandparents will not be able to attend.  

          What is the reason for forming the support group? To provide peer support for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.

          When will the support group meet? Weekly meetings will occur during the first year of the support group.  Special considerations should be explored to possibly take a break around holidays or continue during the stressful holiday times when bio parents perhaps reenter the situation.  This can be determined and voted on by the group as a whole. Weekly meetings will occur on Thursday evenings from 6pm-7:30 pm. at least for the first year of establishing the group. During the second year we may consider bimonthly meetings. The meeting should be a consistent time, place and duration and if the meeting needs to go more than 1.5 hours, the group will need to determine this by a consensus. 6-7:30 pm is the most desired time because it is after the dinner hour, not too late for a school night, during a week night, and near the end of a possible frustrating week that brings many issues up for discussion.

         Where will the support group meet? Setting a meeting location in a public building is the best solution.  Public buildings provide free use providing a safe, well lit, heated environment with public restrooms, handicapped accessibility, good parking and additional rooms for a variety of activities. Consider using libraries, churches or schools. Ideally there should be five sites in different geographical areas in Allegany County.  Local neighborhood schools are a good choice because it is close to their homes, provides good services for free, and is connected to the educational staff of their grandchildren and provides additional space for a variety of activities.  Be sure to contact the school and make arrangements including doing building use forms to reserve certain areas.  Five sites is a good start for about 100 people.  A good group size is approximately 15-20 people taking into account times that some participants are absent.  If the group gets too large or too small it can inhibit participation.  As time passes and if it is noted that the group is dwindling, the site can be directed to join a more active location.  After the first meeting occurs, continue the movement and communication of the group through email or telephone contact on a weekly basis. This will make the group more cohesive and actively involved.

           As a leader of a support group the leader needs to find others that are willing to volunteer to get the project started.  People agree to volunteer with projects that they are personally vested.  Meet with the volunteers and assign them different activities that each volunteer is responsible for.  This gives them direction and helps them take responsibility.  One of these volunteers may very well surface as a long- term leader of the group.  Consider energy, interest in the project, flexibility, and desire for this to be successful when selecting a potential leader. This will set the stage for the group to take ownership, operate and promote longevity.  Meet with these volunteers very early on so that they feel that they are part of the long-term planning and what direction the support group will go.

           Advertising the project is a big part of making a support group successful.  The volunteers can get the news out about the meeting by word of mouth, hanging flyers, posting ads in the local paper, networking with other groups, using free online sites or design the group’s own web page.  Promoting the support group through the local schools will assist with getting the word out.  Designing a brochure would promote and explain the support group.  Consider the number that needs to be printed and the cost of each brochure. The school may be willing to include the brochure in their local newsletter to the homes of their students. Hang advertisements in frequently used and visible places such as banks, post offices, school bulletin boards, churches and libraries which are very public sites.  Make sure that the volunteers ask permission before advertising.  Ask the volunteers to contact potential attendees by phone or email one to two days before each meeting.  This sends a message of feeling welcome and also as a reminder.

Make a checklist of items that need to be accomplished before the first meeting.  The leader needs to be prepared, organized and welcoming.

∙Confirm meeting place and areas of the facility to be utilized.

∙Plan a snack for the adults as well as the children and consider finger foods that are desirable to different age groups.

∙Have a sign in sheet which includes contact information and child care needs.  This will make it easier in the future to be able to contact attendees and have appropriate support for the children.

∙Make plans for activities that the children will do during the meeting that the adults are attending. Schools make a good site because many rooms are available; there is a gym area, different books and educational materials. Enlist volunteers (that are documented as child safe) to assist with the supervision of the children during this time and consider adult to child ratios especially with children who have special needs. 

∙Set up tables and chairs in the area if needed, however in a school environment much of this prep work has already been accomplished for large groups.

∙Greet each person at the door and make them feel welcome.

∙Request that everyone register and hand out pertinent information. This would be an opportune time to give everyone a brochure about the program and a list of government agencies that they may find helpful.

∙Start on time and end on time.

∙Be prepared to run the first meeting yourself. Be sure to introduce yourself and the reason for the meeting.  You may request the group to introduce themselves as well, but everyone should wear a name tag.

∙Setting up ground rules and expectations are needed in the very beginning to set the tone and direction of the support group.  An effective group will understand and respect confidentiality, maintain honesty and sensitivity.

∙Let everyone know what is planned for that particular meeting.

∙Direct the meeting keeping the discussion appropriate and not letting any one person dominate the conversation. 

∙Encourage attendees to tell a little bit about themselves.

∙Have fun.

∙Encourage attendees to listen to each other and provide support for each other.

∙NEVER give advice.

∙Facilitate problem solving techniques within the group.

∙Keep side conversations at a minimum to decrease distractions and facilitate that they can share their comments to the group as a whole.

∙Summarize the meeting near the end leaving time for questions and answer. 

∙Ask the group what guest speakers they may be interested in coming to their meeting. Make suggestions such as health care providers, health insurance personnel, behavioral counselors, drug and alcohol counselors, legal professionals or special education teachers. Many of the community members would be willing to donate an hour and a half of their time for one meeting to facilitate a group with concerns.

∙Ask if the group is interested in future outings such as area parks, ball games, cook outs, group board games or museums.

∙Ask the group if one or two people are able to volunteer providing the refreshments for future meetings.

∙Ask at the close of each meeting what the group would like to discuss at future meetings or what guest speakers they may feel would be appropriate for their needs. This will give them control of the meetings and make them feel accepted discussing topics that are personally applicable.

∙Remind everyone of the next meeting time, date and site.

∙NEVER cancel a meeting. It can make participants feel discouraged and they may lose interest.

∙Encourage everyone to tell others about the meetings, plan to attend again and bring a friend.

∙After the meeting if there was a particular need that an attendee brought up in conversation give them a call at home and discuss a referral agency or other resources that may be helpful for them giving them the contact information they will need to reach out for additional support. 

∙Meet with the volunteers to discuss the meeting.

            The budget constraints are to be reviewed at the end of each week that there is a meeting. Future meetings can be planned with some paid guests, but asking volunteers from the community would aid in the budget for other future meetings.  Fundraisers such as a car wash or a bake sale are good ways to ease the drain of money from the budget depending upon how the participants may feel about those types of activities and the children may be of appropriate ages to help. Ask participants and the original volunteers to plan such activities together.  This will help them take ownership and promote future success of the support group.

              A detailed evaluation of the support group and its progress is to be documented on a monthly basis.  The final report will be easier to compile when it is reviewed by Professor Smith from the Human Services Department at Alfred State College.  A complete review will occur on an annual basis.

             When extensive preplanning happens it will help avoid having a meeting that is out of control. For instance bio parents may attend the meeting and begin to discuss frustrations. This can be a positive situation and opens the door to you referring them to the appropriate agency that can help address their issues.  This is a good time to distribute to them the brochure about the support group and the handout of government agencies with contact information. When a meeting is not going in a constructive direction and it is difficult to gain control, you may have to ask some participants to leave the meeting and/or adjourn the meeting. Thank everyone for coming and remind the attendees that the meetings are for grandparents.  Grandparents may feel that the meeting was not beneficial and too controversial and therefore may not want to attend again.  The next day after the meeting, make contact with each grandparent that attended and reassure them that future meetings will take a positive direction and you are looking forward to meeting with them again.

               Growth of a support group can occur by continuing formal advertising and by word of mouth. This support group would flourish by joining the already recognized larger agency, AARP.  To have an ongoing project requires a lot of pre-planning and encouraging participants to take ownership.  Many of the steps already discussed will help facilitate this project to be successful.  A positive, delegating and supportive attitude while working with participants will facilitate growth and longevity. At the end of two years I feel that the grandparent raising grandchildren support group will be an active and valued force in Allegany County.

Works Cited

Kiser, Pamela Myers (2012). The Human Services Internship. 3^rd Edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Lynn, Diane. How to Start a Parent Support.   http://www.livestrong.com/article/227904-how-to-a-parent-support-     group/#ixzz2OaDvRGbl 2011.

Lynn, Diane. Creating and Facilitating Peer Support Groups. http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_1180.aspx  2011.

US Department of Education.  http://www2ed.gov/print/programs/teacher  2009.