News
A national charity has revealed figures that indicate the elderly are shouldering child and social care responsibilities worth almost four billion pounds a year.
Grandparents Plus, an organization championing the role of elderly and extended family members in society, suggests 14 million grandparents are providing unpaid childcare worth £3.9 billion annually.
In addition, a further 200,000 grandparents are the sole carers for their grandchildren, receiving little or no state financial support for doing so.
The charity praised the recognition for the part that grandparents play in caring children in last month’s budget, arguing that the changes were long overdue. Grandparents who need to give up work to provide childcare for family members will now receive national insurance contributions, allowing them to qualify for a full state pension.
"It's a significant step and gives grandparents recognition of the childcare role for the first time," says Sam Smethers, Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus.
"Society has to recognize that parents are increasingly turning to their parents for childcare. They're doing that because they value and trust them and because they can't afford other options. Grandparents are filling an important gap."
Grandparents are often seen as the only viable alternative for childcare, with many feeling they have no choice but to give up their lifestyle in order to care for their grandchildren after events such as bereavements, divorce or drug / alcohol abuse.
Although pleased with the latest concessions, Grandparents Plus are also campaigning for further help for the unsung heroes of childcare, including automatic entitlement to two weeks of “granny leave” when a grandchild is born, more flexible working arrangements and more tax breaks.
