GRANCARE PROGRAM

GranCare Program


About Us

LIU Brooklyn's GranCare Program is a community-institutional partnership. Its goal is to strengthen support services for grandparents and other kinship caregivers who are raising their grandchildren. In existence for over ten years, GranCare is a model for a community-institutional partnerships.  It is rooted in principles of collaboration and shared decision-making, and it partners with the Brooklyn Grandparents' Coalition to bring together a coalition of 15 agencies, both private and public, to provide services and support to Brooklyn's kin caregivers who are raising their grandchildren. This unique community—institutional partnership was recently recognized by the New York Academy of Medicine as one of the few programs in the country that trains students to work with the grandparent caregiver population. GranCare is well-respected in the community and many elected officials, such as Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Council Member Letitia James, and Assembly Man Hakeem Jeffries have participated in and provided support for its forums.  In 2012, GranCare was explicitly recognized for its community service when LIU-Brooklyn was named to the President's 2012 Honor Roll. The Honor Roll, administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education, recognizes schools that demonstrate its students, faculty and staff are engaged in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.

Forums

Each semester, GranCare sponsors a psychoeducational forum, which are free forums for relative caregivers, and the teens and young adults that they are raising.  They are designed to increase knowledge about resources for this community, provide education and support on a variety of topics of import to caregivers, and to promote socialization among this group. Workshops provide opportunities for in-depth exploration of issues and for stress relieving activities, such as yoga.  Our keynote presentations, panel participants and workshop leaders have included nationally recognized leaders, local elected officials, and inspirational speakers.

Advocacy

In addition to providing forums for the community, GranCare supports the advocacy agenda set forth by the Kincare Task Force, which is under the leadership of Dr. Deborah Langosch. This advocacy agenda has among its objectives to identify gaps in service and policy related to kincare families and to disseminate findings and models of service. We are proud to support and participate in this advocacy agenda.

Education

GranCare provides educational opportunities for social work students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. It served as a Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) site and was recognized by HPPAE as being the only site in the nation with an exclusive focus on kinship caregiving.  It has served as a fieldwork placement for many students, both BSW and MSW.

Jessica Rosenberg, LCSW, Ph.D., Director

jessica.rosenberg@liu.edu
718-246-6443.

Helpful Links

Below we have compiled a list of helpful links for seniors and for grandparents. They provide a wealth of information that addresses issues related to aging. Bookmark this page as a resource that will keep you up-to-date and aware of the broad array of services available for older adults. 


CONTACT

School of Health Professions