Chancellor George Osborne has announced
plans to extend shared parental leave and pay to working grandparents. The
Government intends to bring forward legislation to enable it to introduce a
more flexible shared parental leave and pay policy by 2018. The announcement
follows the publication of evidence indicating that almost two million
grandparents have given up work or taken time off to care for grandchildren.
More than 50% of mothers rely on grandparents for childcare, and over 60% of
working grandparents with grandchildren under the age of 16 provide some
childcare. More details regarding the plans are expected in the first half of
2016.
