Grandparents 'losing out' when they take on care of children

  • Wales
Many older people are taking on the work of carers Credit: Martin Rickett / PA Wire

It's estimated that up to 5,000 grandparents in Wales permanently give up work to care for their grandchildren. The research was done by the charity Grandparents Plus.

'Giving Up the Day Job?' shows how grandparents and other family carers who were previously working gave up their jobs to care for children. The young people would otherwise be in local authority care had their relative not stepped in, as their parents are unable to care for them, for a number of reasons from death to violence or imprisonment.

The study found:

  • 47% of grandparents who were previously working gave up their job when children moved in

  • 41% of them are now reliant on welfare benefits

  • 83% want to stay in work

  • 13% manage to find their way back into a job

The report also highlights that working age grandparents are not entitled to paid leave from work when children move in and most can't take unpaid parental leave.

60,000 grandparents across the UK have dropped out of the labour market to bring up their grandchildren. That amounts to 9,000 per year, or 25 every day.

A group will protest at Westminster this afternoon to try to draw attention to the plight of grandparents who take on the work of carers.

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Industry & Skills said: