Volunteer grandparent group Kin Raising Kids Tasmania is working to establish a national peak body for informal grandparent and relative carers, hoping to improve support for kinship carers across Australia.
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Meanwhile at a state level, government representatives are raising calls for a state inquiry to look at the challenges faced by informal carers and agitate for change in this area.
Kin Raising Kids secretary Frank Tyers said letters would be sent to every kinship carer organisation in Australia, seeking support for a peak body, and to also nominate state delegates who could help found the body.
The body would advocate for nationally consistent supports for informal carers, and fulfill a recommendation in the 2014 Out of Home Care Senate inquiry.
MORE ON THE RIGHTS OF KINSHIP CARERS IN TASMANIA:
The move is a priority for Kin Raising Kids, which recognises that many challenges faced by informal kinship carers require federal government action.
At a state level the grandparent group also continues to lobby for change for grandparent families who keep kids out of the foster care system.
Last week they attended meetings with Tasmanian Legislative councillors, a House of Assembly member, and a state government representative.
Mr Tyers said the suggestion of a state inquiry, that investigates and seeks to address all of the issues faced by informal grandparent carers, was raised by one member and supported by Legislative councillors around the table.
"We are happy for that to happen [eventually] but suggest it should be put on hold," Mr Tyers said.
"We are not interested in wasting tax-payers' money if the results from an inquiry don't go anywhere ... ultimately from past experience nothing comes out of these inquiries very quickly.
"We had a state government inquiry where some 48 recommendations were made and only 12 were implemented ... and a federal Senate inquiry made quite a number of recommendations, some aimed at the states, and in Tasmania none of those have been implemented."
Mr Tyers said this recommendation inaction was raised with the state government representative, who told them these issues would be looked at.
He said details of any state government investigations and future announcements relating to informal carers would not be disclosed.
"As much as we want to rattle chains we don't want to lose the trust that we have with the department. If they say they are doing something, we'll have to wait to see."
Mr Tyers said the group was also trying to get informal kinship carers, including those who remained in hiding from agencies for fear of losing children, to come forward.
"Supposedly there is an upswell of interest in kinship carers, and if they want to be part of that change, and be involved, they have to be prepared to come out of the woodwork."
