Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Groups in Alberta

You Are Not Doing This Alone

Raising a grandchild or relative's child can feel isolating. Your friends are retired and travelling. Your neighbours' kids are grown. The parents at the school gate are half your age. You love this child, but the loneliness and exhaustion are real.

Support groups exist specifically for kinship caregivers in Alberta — people who understand exactly what you are going through, because they are going through it too. Here is where to find them.

CANGRANDS National Kinship Support

CANGRANDS is Canada's national peer support network for grandparents and other relatives raising their grandchildren and relative children. It operates through volunteer coordinators across the country, including Alberta.

• Phone: 639-318-0435
• Email: [email protected]
• What they offer: Peer connection, resource sharing, emotional support, and referrals to local services. CANGRANDS coordinators are themselves grandparents raising grandchildren — they have lived experience with every frustration you are facing.

CANGRANDS does not process benefit applications or provide legal advice, but they can point you to the right agencies and share hard-won knowledge about what works.

Edmonton: Sage Seniors Association

The Sage Seniors Association in Edmonton hosts the Grandparents Who Parent Support Group. This group brings together grandparents raising grandchildren in the Edmonton area for peer support, information sharing, and guest speaker sessions on topics like navigating government benefits, managing stress, and accessing legal help.

• Phone: 780-446-3569
• Location: Sage Seniors Association, Edmonton

Contact them to find out the current meeting schedule and format (in-person, phone, or virtual — formats have shifted since the pandemic).

Calgary: Community Support Options

Calgary does not have a single dedicated grandparents-raising-grandchildren group as visible as Sage in Edmonton, but several organizations serve kinship families:

• Calgary Family Services: Offers family counselling and support programs that include kinship families
• Catholic Family Service of Calgary: Runs parenting programs open to kinship caregivers
• Closer to Home Community Services: Provides family support workers who can connect you with local peer groups
• 211 Alberta (dial 2-1-1): The best starting point — a trained operator can search for current kinship and grandparent support groups in the Calgary area

Alberta Foster and Kinship Association (AFKA)

AFKA provides training, legal assistance, and advocacy for approved foster and kinship caregivers across Alberta.

• Phone: 780-429-3399 (or toll-free 1-800-667-2399)
• Website: afkaonline.ca

AFKA's services are primarily for caregivers within the formal child intervention system — meaning you have been approved by Children and Family Services (CFS) or a Delegated First Nation Agency as a kinship or foster caregiver. If you are in a formal placement, AFKA offers valuable training, peer connection, and support navigating the system.

If you are an informal caregiver (no CFS involvement), AFKA may still be able to provide general information or referrals, but their core programs are tied to the formal system.

Rural Alberta

Outside Edmonton and Calgary, finding a dedicated kinship support group is harder. Your best bets:

• 211 Alberta: Call 2-1-1 and ask for family support services in your area
• Family Resource Centres: Most Alberta communities have a family resource centre funded through Family and Community Support Services (FCSS). These centres run parenting groups, playgroups, and family support programs — some specifically serve kinship families
• Church and faith communities: Many grandparents find peer support through their faith community, even if there is no formal "kinship" label on it
• Online forums: Reddit communities like r/Alberta and r/Edmonton have threads where kinship caregivers share experiences and tips. Search for "grandparents raising grandchildren" to find active discussions

What Support Groups Can and Cannot Do

Support groups provide something no government office can: the understanding of someone who has been where you are. They share practical tips — which caseworker actually helps, how to handle the CCB transfer, what to say to the school — alongside emotional support.

They do not replace professional services. If you need legal advice, contact the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) or Legal Aid Alberta. If you need help with benefit applications, call Alberta Supports at 1-877-644-9992. If you need comprehensive guidance on every financial support available to you, the Alberta Kinship Financial Help Guide covers the full landscape.

But for the days when you just need to talk to someone who gets it — a support group is where you start.

See more Alberta guides →