TURNERS FALLS — The nuclear family is defined as a father, a mother and their child or children living in one household.

But various circumstances often disrupt that “perfect picture,” and an American family can take on many forms. In fact, information from the U.S. Census Bureau a few years ago reported there were 2½ million grandparents raising their grandchildren, and this figure had increased by 30% over the past decade.

Unexpected changes in family dynamics and living situations can put a strain on people who aren’t sure where to turn. This is where grandparent support groups, like the one organized through The United Arc in Turners Falls, come in.

The Grandparent and Kinship Care Resource Center offers twice-monthly meetings, home visits and check-in calls for grandparents raising grandchildren in Franklin County. The program also serves as a resource for families and provides regular activities and get-togethers for grandparents and youngsters.

“Our doors are open to anybody in the area,” said Sandra Vecchio, The United Arc’s event and communication generalist who also runs the grandparents group.

Vecchio’s predecessor, Janet Doody, explained the group was started about 15 years ago and survives off a $6,000 federal grant disseminated through LifePath, a nonprofit serving older people, people with disabilities, and caregivers in western and central Massachusetts.

“It’s been a really important experience for the agency as well as for grandparents, because it meets a need,” said Doody, who retired in April. “It’s a community.”

Vecchio, who is raising grandchildren, said the group now has about 14 grandparents. Patricia Harrington said she has been involved since the beginning and Phyllis Sinclair said she joined after getting a recommendation from a parenting group. Sue Jones, who is retired from The United Arc and now sits on its board of directors, wrote the original federal grant.

“Everyone comes to the table with a different story,” Jones said.

Vecchio said the transition from Doody’s leadership went smoothly and she is working on organizing a monthly get-together so grandchildren can meet their peers and associate The United Arc with activities that aren’t meetings.

“We can’t forget the children, because they’re the most important part of this,” Vecchio said.

She also mentioned trying to schedule “a seminar/conference sort of thing” for all grandparents in western Massachusetts. She is trying to line up speakers to talk about topics such as adoption, trauma, guardianship and Social Security.

The grandparents group is affiliated with the state Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, an agency that aims to support the growing number of Massachusetts grandparents caring for their grandchildren. It was created in 2008 when the Child Advocate Bill was signed into law by then-Gov. Deval Patrick. The permanent commission consists of 15 people who have demonstrated a commitment to grandparents.

The commission worked with UMass Chan Medical School to study whether access to state-level services and support for grandparent and kinship families differs depending on whether the caregiving arrangement was formalized through the Department of Children and Families or Juvenile Court, or through another legal avenue. This study, released in October 2022, identified significant differences in access to state-level services and support between these two groups.

Past research shows that a variety of factors — including addiction, serious mental and behavioral illness, financial insecurity, incarceration and death — contribute to creation of grandparent and kinship families. Like in other states, grandparents and other kin in Massachusetts become the primary caregivers to related children and form grandparent and kinship families. These families exist either in formal or informal arrangements. However, most are informal, with no child welfare system involvement.

UMass Chan Medical School research indicates that children placed with grandparents and other relatives have far better outcomes than children who are placed with non-relatives and, despite taxpayers saving an estimated $4 billion per year because these children are not placed in the custody of the state, grandparent and kin caregivers have minimal or no support from the child welfare system. This results in them paying the price through their physical, emotional, and financial health and well-being.

The needs of grandparents and kin caregivers reportedly stem from intergenerational trauma, the detrimental impact of caregiving on their own physical and emotional well-being, financial and housing insecurity, and the lack of sufficient resources and services.

For more information about meeting times and resources for grandparents raising grandchildren, call The United Arc at 413-774-5558.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com.