Granted, you may not see much of them in family court these days, as indicated in my recent post, Grandparents’ Rights: Another Comeback?

But family court proceedings don’t tell the whole story.

More than 297,000 children in New York state live with their grandparents.

Many of those children end up placed with grandparents via social services action in juvenile dependency court cases arising out of abandonment, abuse or neglect.

Other kids end up with their grandparents through formal agreements with their parents, informal dropoffs and informal stepping up to the plate.

Others through guardianship proceedings.

A few even get there through family court proceedings, agreed orders, placement or custody agreements, even the occasional trial.

If the vast majority of those kids aren’t placed with their grandparents through family court, that’s still a lot of grandparents actually exercising grandparent (if not parental) rights (and responsibilities).

Just likely not in family court.

Read more in Remember grandparents who are parents, too.