Interview: Diana Whitworth, co-director, Grandparents Plus - Theforgotten childcarers

Diana Whitworth, co-director of charity Grandparents Plus, says thiscontribution is a good thing because grandparents can make a positivedifference to the lives of children. "It's good for children - there isa continuity of care in the sense that they are part of the familyunit," she says. "There is a strong sense of heritage."

Whitworth says there has been a huge increase in the amount of contactgrandparents have with their grandchildren. "This is partly becausegrandparents are living longer, but also because parents need childcaredue to pressure on both parents to work," she says.

However, despite the growing involvement of grandparents in the lives ofchildren, Whitworth argues the Government "makes no acknowledgement ofthis" in terms of offering guidance on how local authorities caninteract with people caring for their grandchildren. "At school gates,you see grandparents collecting and delivering grandchildren, but it's acomplete revelation for a lot of schools that there is a network ofgrandparents they never thought of engaging," she says.