This paper focuses on ways in which social workers use power in their relationships with grandparents who are caring for grandchildren involved with child welfare agencies. Also examined are the ways in which grandparents perceive this use of power. Qualitative data were gathered from forty-three social workers and thirty-two grandparents in kinship care settings. Findings showed that social workers’ expression of power falls into three main categories. Workers ‘dispense resources’, which include the provision of material support and services, the use of clinical skills and their influence over the middle generation. Workers can be ‘directive’, which involves their controlling interaction and defining the meanings of help. They also ‘manage negotiations’, which can occur in both an open and an implicit manner. Findings showed that workers’ use of power can be beneficial to grandparents. A central issue for grandparents is whether there is reciprocity in their relationships with workers. Our conclusion is that being less directive and engaging in negotiations will result in collaborative relationships in which the needs of grandparents, as well as the agency, are more likely to be met.