Originating from the University of Wisconsin's Cooperative Extension Service, the videoconference will be simulcast to sites in Newark, Dover and Georgetown from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Among other topics, this year's conference will highlight custody, financial assistance and mediation issues. Admission is free, but pre-registration before February 20 is requested. Six percent of Delaware's children under age 18 live in a grandparent-headed household.
Grandparents raising grandchildren face many challenges.
The 2001 videoconference was developed for grandparents raising grandchildren and for professionals in various agencies who provide services for these grandparents. The program is a follow-up to a January 1999 national videoconference that introduced the issue. The nationally broadcast conference will include a video segment about Delaware's new consent laws, which permit relative caregivers such as grandparents to register children for school and approve medical treatment for the children they are raising. The videoconference will include a panel of experts, and participants will be able to submit questions to the panel for discussion.