UK falling behind European neighbours in support for grandparent carers

According to the report Grandparenting in Europe, by Grandparents Plus, the Beth Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Gerontology at King's College London, grandparents' role supporting families is being largely ignored in the UK.

In Germany, parents can take leave for up to three years after a child's birth and can transfer that to a grandparent if they are ill or disabled.

Leave and parental allowances can also be transferred in Hungary, and in Portugal grandparents gain financial support if the mother is aged 16 or younger and the child is looked after in the grandparents' home.

The report says that no such transferring of parental leave to grandparents exists in the UK. It calls on the UK government to allow parents to transfer leave and to provide financial support to grandparents who provide care, especially those who support teenage parents.

It emerged in the report that six in 10 grandmothers in the EU provide childcare for grandchildren.

The report acknowledges that from April next year grandparents in the UK will be able to claim National Insurance credits in recognition of their role as carers.

Sam Smethers, chief executive of Grandparents Plus, said: "National Insurance credits from April next year will certainly help to protect their pension entitlement but this won't help them now.

"We have to match it with steps towards transferable parental leave and flexible working if we really want to make it easier for them to combine work and care."
 
A recent survey by Grandparents Plus revealed that seven in 10 grandparents believe they should receive tax credits and childcare vouchers to help cover the cost of their role as carers.