Document Type   Publication details  Backhouse, J 2009,
'Grandparents raising their grandchildren: impact of the
transition from a traditional grandparent role to a grandparent-
as-parent role', PhD thesis, Southern Cross University, Lismore,
NSW.  Copyright J Backhouse 2009   In many Western societies
grandparents take on the role of occasional or short-term care
providers of their grandchildren. However, recent years have
witnessed a significant increase, both in Australia and
overseas, in the number of children being raised by their
grandparents due to the inability of the children’s parents to
effectively meet their parenting responsibilities.  This study
is an interpretive inquiry that seeks to understand the meanings
grandparents attach to their experiences of the grandparent-as-
parent role, rather than the traditional grandparent role. The
study also investigates how assuming the non-traditional
grandparent role has influenced the identity of grandparent
caregivers. A narrative inquiry approach was empl