[영문]Growing numbers of African American grandmothers are raisinggrandchildren under the auspices of the child welfare system;however, little is known about the manner in which child welfarepolicies and practices impact custodial grandparenting. Based onfocus groups with African American grandmothers who are raisinggrandchildren as formal kinship caregivers, this study exploredthe ways in which the new formalized relationship between thechild welfare system and African American custodial grandmothersis transforming the meanings and practices related to intergenerationalcaregiving in African American families. Drawing on cultural and historical traditions, grandmothers forge a transformative partnership with child welfare that embodies the inherent tensions in the grandmothers’ private-public role as formal kinship caregivers. Implications of an intergenerational approach to child welfare policy and practices are discussed in this paper.