Grandparents used to be a respected and loved part of the American family but as the social climate of the times change unfortunately so does the plight of many American grandparents. Single parents, adoption, divorce and even governmental agencies are turning grandparents from seeing their grandchildren. Children are not pawns but as society changes with the times so do the family values that many of us grew up with as standards of respect. The elderly face many obstacles in their path as they grow older and now have one more to face, the shrinking of their own family. A death of a parent, an adoption, divorce, or a simple misunderstanding can balloon into the denial of seeing their grandchild. In Iowa alone the numbers are growing of grandparents that no longer see there grandchildren due to a divorce, a new parent in the situation, Department of Human services placing the child/children in foster homes or up for adoption-you are to old to care for them-discrimination of the elderly and do not forget the simple control issue of some parents who fear losing the control issue of their children.
In Iowa there was no regulation that protected a grandparents rights to see their grandchildren until as recent as March of 2007 according to the Sioux City Journal. On July 1st, 2007 Iowa Grandparents Rights to Petition the Courts for Visitation and Custody Rights went into effect giving the Iowa grandparents a much needed sigh of relief.
Do not expect very much help or assistance when trying to exercise your rights as a grandparent in Iowa though unless you know what forms you need, where to look for information to further your case in Court and a list of lawyers who acknowledge the new regulations. According to the Iowa Elder Affairs the new regulation went into effect July 1st, 2007 and can be found in the Iowa Code Chapter 600C. To date only a few small articles have appeared in newspapers and as for government agencies many such as Department of Human Services (DHS) were unaware of the new regulation and when asked if their was any legal assistance by an individual seeking help the receptionist was quoted as she did not believe a grandparent should have any rights where a child was concerned. She felt it should be left up to the parent who the child associated with and not the courts. An amazing statement coming from an agency that has no problem taking a child away from parent and placing said child in the foster care system, group home or up for adoption. Many grandparents would take their grandchildren and raise them their selves but many times they are denied due to age or income discrimination.
Iowagrandparentsrights.com is a website that offers assistance to grandparents by membership. It also offers and on line bookstore connected to Amazon, a well known and respected bookseller, that features books on grand parenting, the modern grandparent, manuals on grandparents rights covering Iowa and all states plus forms. Membership is not free and the website does charge a $12.00 a year membership fee that can be paid with a major credit card or bank card through paypal or payment may also be mailed. The website is new and is being updated periodically so it is worth checking out.
