She was in retirement when her husband’s grandson needed another place to call home.

“When you’ve been on your own for 15 years, and I wouldn’t change any of it, but there are challenges when you have to raise a child,” Mrs Hinchcliffe said. 

“Everything, all of a sudden, becomes a lot harder to do.”

At the weekend, the government backed down on some controversial changes to childcare support, announcing it would exempt grandparent carers from a means test. It also announced it would relax cuts to its family payments package for grandparent carers.

But according to Mrs Hinchcliffe, who recalls “making a phone call a day”, the discrimination runs much deeper.

“Legally we’re not treated as grandparents, but as foster carers,” she said. “We’re not treated as if we are raising a child, but only caring for a child. We are not there to babysit.”

The Wagga Grandparents Doing It Tough support group is trying to change the legal status of grandparents raising kids.

The group has even launched a petition, which has so far garnered more than 1000 signatures.

Centrecare’s Lyn Reilly said foster carer status opened up a host of legal hurdles, and even meant grandparents were forced to take parenting classes. There is also less financial support for foster carers.

“It is ridiculous,” she said. “It’s mind-boggling that we have to fight for grandparents to be seen as family members … grandparents are very clearly looking for reform.”

Ms Reilly said the group had seen increased membership over the past five years, and believes the ice epidemic is set to make grandparent support even more vital.

She said grandparents raising children often faced social stigmas in their role and found it difficult to cope with younger generations. 

“I think there has been a groundswell of parents saying ‘this is tough’,” Ms Reilly said. 

The petition is available at the Centrecare office at 203 Tarcutta Street. Wagga Grandparents Doing It Tough is open to all grandparents raising a child.