ABC Sunshine Coast By Kylie Bartholomew and Annie Gaffney
A Queensland community lawyer says grandparents are contacting her daily seeking custody of their grandchildren and requests for information are increasing.
The chair of the Elder Law Committee of the Queensland Law Society and a lawyer with the Suncoast Community Legal Service, Kirsty Mackie, said she was "astounded" at the surge in the number of grandparents seeking help.
She said addiction was at the crux of the majority of cases.
"It's probably one or two a day that I'm advising on parenting issues for their grandchildren," Ms Mackie said.
"Unfortunately in every matter I've seen in the last month there's been an addiction, generally ice, of one or both of the parents and the grandchildren are being neglected and abused."