Grandparent carers 'need more support'

Date: 3 Mar 2010

Grandparents who provide childcare for low paid parents are risking financial hardship themselves, a new report from Grandparents Plus and the Equality and Human Rights Commission shows.

The report “Protect, Support, Provide” reveals that grandparents, particularly working age, working class grandmothers, in families most at risk of poverty are under increasing pressure to take on a caring role. Many have given up work or reduced their hours to care for grandchildren. This has an impact on household income and may have an effect on a grandparent’s pension rights as well as their health.

The report warns that two of the government’s aims are working in conflict with each other – increasing the numbers of lone parents in work and increasing the employment rate of older people as they approach retirement – as grandparents are providing free childcare instead of being at work themselves. This, it says, could undermine attempts to reduce both child and older people’s poverty.

The research shows:

- One in three families relies on grandparental childcare each week, rising to one in two for single parent families.
- One in three carers who are family or friends give up paid work when they take on the care of a child, and a further three in 10 (30 per cent) reduce their paid working hours.

- Three out of four carers who are family or friends experience financial hardship when they take on the care of a child. (Approximately 200,000 families in Britain). More than one in three of these carers (35 per cent) are single parent grandparents.

- More than half of families with a disabled child live in or near the margins of poverty. Grandparents in these families play a considerable role in providing emotional, practical and financial support, particularly in times of crisis.

- Ethnic minority households are more likely to include a grandparent, parent and child living in under the same roof. This often leads to the expectation that grandparents will take on high levels of childcare.

Sam Smethers, Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus, said: “It’s time the government recognised that grandparents provide the last line of defence between millions of children and that poverty line. They need recognition and better emotional, financial and practical support.”

Kay Carberry, Commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “We’re making a number of recommendations to government, based on the findings of this report. These include extending the right to request flexible working to all employees so that it is easier for grandparents to balance their work and care commitments, abolishing the default retirement age and looking in more detail at the economic contribution of grandparents.

The Daycare Trust backs the call for increased flexible working for all and for children’s centres to provide more support for grandparents. However, it says that, at a time when public sector finances are stretched, it would prefer to see more investment in childcare across the board rather than money being put into tax credits for grandpapers. It will publish a policy paper ‘Listening to grandparents’ later this month, a piece of research carried out with grandparents sharing their experiences and views on childcare.

Charities call for childcare to be placed at centre of London elections

Fifteen leading children’s organisations have joined forces to put childcare at the heart of London’s local elections in May.

The London Child Policy Forum, which includes national charities such as Barnardo’s, NSPCC, Daycare Trust and Save the Children along with pan-London networks such as London Play and London Youth has launched “United We Stand: A Voluntary and Community Sector Manifesto for London’s Children and Young People” setting out what it believes are the changes needed to improve the future for London’s children and young people.

Council candidates in the local elections, which will take place across London on 6 May, are being asked to sign up and support key childcare pledges, including:

Implementing ‘recession-busting’ childcare support through:

- Fee holidays for parents struggling to pay childcare costs

- Rent freezes for childcare settings where councils are the landlord

- Creation of specialist caseworker taskforces to step in and assist parents if they lose their childcare place.

Increasing childcare places for disabled children, older children, during school holidays and work parents who work atypical hours – in order to close the childcare gap.

Ensuring the views of parents and carers on childcare are not only listened to, but proactively sought.

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Daycare Trust commented:“Daycare Trust’s recent research showed that yet again the cost of childcare in London is head and shoulders above the rest of the UK; and that a lack of available childcare had been reported in almost half of London’s boroughs. This puts an enormous pressure on London families.

"There are thousands of local candidates whom are potentially London’s councillors of tomorrow – we hope they will all recognise today what a massive election issue childcare is, and sign up.”

Number of permanent jobs shows fastest monthly increase for over two years
The number of people finding permanent jobs in February showed the fastest rate of increase since July 2007, according to the monthly Report on Jobs survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG.

The number of people finding permanent jobs has increased month on month for the last seven months.

Half of UK workforce expect pay freeze in 2010
More than 50% of the UK workforce – 16 million people - don’t expect a pay rise in 2010 and a further nine million expect a pay rise below inflation, with civil servants, teachers and nurses expecting the smallest rise.

A third of UK consumers anticipate being worse off in 2010.

Related tags: Childcare | Grandparents | Pay freeze | Permanent jobs