Grandparents save families £4,000 a year in childcare costs

Grandparents who provide childcare are saving Scots families almost £4,000 a year on average, according to research.

A Bank of Scotland study also found the coronavirus pandemic had led to more than a quarter of parents feeling they could no longer be as dependent on family and friends for childcare.

The research suggested that more than 40% of families relied on grandparents.

On average, grandparents spend nine hours a week caring for grandchildren, researchers found.

As professional childcare in the UK costs just over £8 an hour, they calculated that grandparents were providing the equivalent of more than £3,770 of childcare throughout the year.

The report said that while some parents were considering keeping their children away from the grandparents through the summer to keep them safe, grandparents themselves seemed less concerned - almost half (46%) expected to carry out their usual school holiday childcare duties.

The How Scotland Lives study suggests that 12% of grandparents who do not usually take on childcare have offered to do so to support their own children.

Tara Foley, managing director at the Bank of Scotland, said: "For many parents, the challenge of conflicting work and childcare commitments continues this summer, with some facing difficult decisions around who is best to take care of their children.

"Whilst some parents remain worried about asking loved ones for support during the ongoing pandemic, not all families can rely on holiday clubs and professional childcare.

"These will likely be a stretch too far for some budgets where paying for additional childcare wasn't part of the plan."

More than half (52%) of parents in the west of Scotland receive regular help with childcare, which is more than in any other region, and 8% more than the Scottish average.

Likewise, parents in Mid-Scotland, which includes Stirlingshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, (48%), and Central Scotland (45%), are also more reliant on their parents for help.

However, in the Highlands and Islands, just over a third (35%) of parents, receive support from grandparents.