Government listening to grandparents

ENGLAND – Grandparents and their representative organisations have attended a cross-government summit to explore the changing role of grandparents in society and talked to ministers about how the government can support them.

Topics for discussion included how families and childcare services can adapt to better meet the needs of grandparents, the impact of combining employment with care of their grandchildren, and ways to provide more information to grandparents more effectively.

The findings from the summit will inform the forthcoming Families and Relationships Green Paper. The Green Paper will look at how government can better support all family members, including grandparents, and how services can cater for their differing needs.

Yvette Cooper Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said: “I know from personal experience just how important grandparents can be to help families juggle the demands of work and home life. Thousands of grandparents across the country are playing a vital role in all our lives and we want to do all we can to help support them, which is why today’s event is so valuable.”

Children’s minister Dawn Primarolo said: “We know that policies need to accommodate the changing shape of families in which grandparents play an increasingly important role, particularly in the upbringing of their grandchildren. With the Families and Relationships Green Paper we want to look at how government policies can better support today’s families”

Michael Foster, minister for equality said: “With the number of people over 85 set to double in the next 20 years, it is essential that older people are not written off because of their age.”