The Chancellor has announced the intention to extend shared parental leave and pay to working grandparents. The Government will consult on the details in the first half of 2016 and will bring forward legislation to enable this change by 2018. According to the HM Treasury press release, evidence shows more than half of mothers rely on grandparents for childcare when they first go back to work after maternity leave, and over 60% of working grandparents with grandchildren aged under 16 provide some childcare. In total, some 7 million grandparents are involved in childcare. Evidence suggests that nearly 2 million grandparents have given up work, reduced their hours or have taken time off work to help families who cannot afford childcare costs. The changes are designed to increase flexibility and support childcare costs during the first year of a child’s life.

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