A BRADFORD woman who is part of a group formed of grandparents that look after grandchildren neglected by parents suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, has edited a book based on real-life experiences.

Janet Bujra, from Eccleshill, has gathered the true stories of grandparents from the group in this situation and put them all into one hard-hitting novel, titled Grandparenting the Children of Addicted Parents.

The subjects of each story have largely remained anonymous but that in no way diminishes the impact of this powerful book.

Ms Bujra said: “I first had the idea for the book four years ago. It’s taken a long time but it’s a hidden problem that people ought to know about.

“It wasn’t really upsetting for the other grandparents to write, as they got a lot out of telling their stories, documenting all the struggles they’ve had.

“We were thrilled it was possible to write it.”

Explaining the format of the book, Ms Bujra said: “I did the introduction but really I just did the interviews and transcribed them.

“Caroline Archer (who has written best-selling novels about life as an adoptive parent) has written the afterword/final chapter on childhood trauma for those living with drug-addicted parents.

“Nigel Priestley, a well-known solicitor from Huddersfield, has put his name to a chapter about what it means to grandparents going through this.

“Like Jane and her husband for example, who, a week after Harry had retired, were called by social services and asked to take in their two young grandchildren after their alcoholic parents had neglected and hurt them.

“Or Kathleen, whose drug-taking daughter and son-in-law abandoned their newborn child with her on the way home from the maternity hospital.”

“Given the rising levels of substance use in Britain, many thousands of children are being brought up by grandparents.

“The grandparents in our book are resilient and brave, and they have one key advantage over others in that they belong to a Grandparents Group, so they are not socially isolated.

“Their accounts tell individual stories, but this is not a problem of individuals. It is part of a bigger picture of the rise of drug and alcohol use and the impact of austerity on deteriorating welfare services.

“In short this is a book to help grandparents to see that they are not alone; and for social workers and others who need to appreciate the extent and consequences of substance abuse on the children who are damaged by it and how kinship care can help to heal the wounds.

“It is a campaigning book to bring the issue to public awareness and to highlight the needs of grandparents raising their grandchildren so that they may get more support.

Ms Bujra was keen to praise Mary Womersley, from Wrose, who formed the grandparents group back in 2005 at the Bridge Project, a drug treatment charity in Bradford.

Ms Womersley writes a chapter in the book about the history of the group, and speaking to us, she said: “I worked for a drugs agency then, and I saw an influx of grandparents in this situation, so I set up the group.

“It’s full of grandparents who look after their grandchildren full time due to neglect from parents, as a result of drug or alcohol addiction.

“Janet’s book is all about the stories of grandparents and how they’ve coped.

“There’s also a piece where somebody talks about the trauma of children who have been born with addicted parents and one from a solicitor who has dealt with these cases.

“There’s nothing out there like it.”

Ms Womersley added: “There’s thousands of grandparents doing it (looking after grandchildren as a result of parental drug or alcohol addiction) so it’s happening a lot.

“The book is quite upsetting to read but it allows people to feel that they’re not on their own.”

The book is available to buy for £13.99 at Waterstones and Amazon.

The Amazon link is

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grandparenting-Children-Addicted-Parents-Experiences/dp/1785925393