Great to see the launch of the new report today from The Equality and Human Rights Commission and Grandparents Plus  - Protect, Support Provide which highlights the important role of grandparents in caring for their grandchildren and the financial hardship it causes for grandparents in low income families as a result.

The report shows how Grandparents who are filling the ‘care gap’ in some of Britain’s most vulnerable families are risking hardship themselves – a  message that has been made loud and clear to the Family Commission from grandparents all over the country.  Those families who are likely to suffer most are those at risk of poverty (including single parent families, families where a child or parent has a disability, black and ethnic minority families and children who cannot live with their parents so are looked after by family or friends) and with the report showing that one in three carers who are looking after family members giving up their work as a result it’s easy to see the extent of the problem.

The Family Commission’s recent Family First report launched last week recognizes the importance of extended families and the real need for public services to catch up.  Only when support for extended families to care is built into employment, childcare and eldercare arrangements will we begin to maximize the resource of the family and make sure they are not suffering as a result.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/age/protect_support_provide_full.pdf