How community organizations can welcome grandfamilies.
Small changes to forms, fees, privacy and referral practices can make a community program much easier for a grandfamily to use.
Part of our For Professionals resource series. See the main For Professionals guide for the wider topic and related resources.
Professional resource reviewed September 2026. PEI laws, programs and service processes can change, so use the linked official source when a current rule matters.
Grandfamilies should not have to explain themselves before they can join a program.
Libraries, recreation programs, camps, churches, family resource centres, food programs and community organizations can reduce isolation simply by making registration and participation work for a non-parent caregiver.
Fix the forms first.
- Use parent / guardian / caregiver rather than parent only.
- Allow a caregiver to identify a different legal decision-maker where necessary.
- Separate emergency-contact information from legal custody questions.
- Do not require a child to explain why surnames or addresses differ.
Make cost assistance easy to ask about.
Registration fees, equipment, transportation and meals can create barriers even when the household looks financially stable. Tell families privately about subsidies, payment plans, donated equipment or fee waivers.
Protect children in photographs and publicity.
Do not assume that the adult who brings the child can authorize public photographs, social media posts or storytelling. Obtain the appropriate consent and avoid using the child's family story as promotional content without explicit, informed permission.
Transportation and scheduling are part of access.
A rural caregiver may have to drive significant distances, coordinate sibling schedules or rely on one vehicle. Consider program times, carpool options, regional delivery and whether some participation can happen virtually.
Know where your role ends.
Community staff should know the difference between an emergency, a child-protection concern and an ordinary request for family support. Refer legal, clinical and child-safety issues to the appropriate service rather than attempting to investigate or counsel outside the organization's role.
Family Resource Centres are natural partners.
PEI Family Resource Centres are natural partners for outreach, peer connection, practical supports and referral. They already serve families in communities across the Island and can be part of local partnership building for kinship caregivers.
Build trust before asking for stories.
Trust grows when outreach is practical, local and respectful. Ask caregivers what they need before designing a program around assumptions, and do not require people to disclose a private family story in order to receive ordinary information or support.
Make one person responsible for knowing the answer.
A caregiver should not have to be transferred through five staff members to learn whether they can register a child. A designated contact can resolve unusual forms, explain documents and identify financial assistance.
Was this guide useful?
Tell us whether this helped your school, clinic, workplace or organization understand grandfamilies more clearly.