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Original poster

granny leave?!

93 replies

beanieb · 25/03/2009 08:56

story story

"The YouGov survey for Grandparents Plus of more than 2,000 people found 61% of those polled agreed that grandparents should be paid by the government for providing childcare."

do you think that grandparents shold be given 'granny leave'? Should they be financially reimbursed for the time they spend looking after their grandchildren?

Surely if anyone should be paying them it's the parents who are getting free childcare?!

OP posts:
spongebrainbigpants · 25/03/2009 08:58

I don't understand this either - so if you don't have parents to look after your kids you have to pay for childcare, but if you leave them with your parents the Government pays?!

I'm clearly getting the wrong end of the stick cos no one in their right mind would think that was a fair idea!

Original poster
beanieb · 25/03/2009 09:02

well - to be fair the government does provide working tax credits for working parents.

I think that maybe parents who use their parents for free childcare, and grandparents who allow themselves to be used for free childcare at the expense of thir own jobs need to think about what they are doing and start thinking about being reimbursed rather than expecting the government to subsidise their choices.

but then I suppose people couls day the same about parents who choose to work? Thing is they don't say this about men who choose to work.

OP posts:
StewieGriffinsMom · 25/03/2009 09:02

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spongebrainbigpants · 25/03/2009 09:04

But if the parents get tax credits it's up to them to pass this onto GPs isn't it?

juuule · 25/03/2009 09:04

Thing is they don't say this about men who choose to work."

I agreed with your post up to this point and then I didn't understand what you were getting at. Don't say what about men who choose to work?

StewieGriffinsMom · 25/03/2009 09:05

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jellybeans · 25/03/2009 09:05

So why would the Gov pay for g'parents to care fot kids but not parents? Why is it OK for anyone but the parents to be reimbursed?

juuule · 25/03/2009 09:11

Parents on low incomes can claim the childcare element of working tax credit and pass this on to grandparents if the gparent registered as a childminder.

The gov't only financially supports registered childcare afaic see.

Childcare element of Working Tax Credit

Portofino · 25/03/2009 09:17

It's a survey - no one is saying that the Gov should do this, just that they'd like them to i suppose. I don't think the govt should pay for people's childcare at all. What they should do is set up a decent infrastructure of affordable childcare so it is available to all who want it. And it should be tax deductible.

kentmumtj · 25/03/2009 09:24

if the grandaparent registers as a childmindr the parents can claim the child care element of working tax credit (which is upto 80%) and pay this to the GP.

if the parent does not recive the child care element then they are earning above the bracket like me and i have to pay for my childcare. The grandaprents are given up their time maybe job or whatever to look after their GC. If they do this out of love perhaps the parent can treat them as some will be offended by being paid.

Its all swings and roundabouts really.

And if they say GP who are at home should be paid to look after their GC then why shouldnt mothers who stay at home be paid to look after their Dc/ Although it could be argued that a sahm is included when working out any benefits the family recives.

it will continue to be a huge debate

ssd · 25/03/2009 09:37

what about those of us who don't have the grandparents that can provide any sort of childcare, free or otherwise?

do we get compensated for struggling with no help?

do we hell

mayorquimby · 25/03/2009 10:52

is anyone really suprised that anyone, grandparent or otherwise, answered "yes" to a survey question of "do you think the government should give you money for something you already do for free?"

nancy75 · 25/03/2009 10:58

i do think they have a point - if you are a on a low income you get tax credits that pay towards childcare, so you could pay a childminder with this money but you couldn't pay a grandparent. i am sure there are lots of grandparents that would like to work a couple of days less and look after their grandchildren but couldn't aford it and lots of parents who would love to have their parent look after their child rather than a cm. if a granny and a cm are both in effect doing the same job i dont see why a cm deserves to be paid (in relation to tax credits) but a granny does not.

Stretch · 25/03/2009 11:02

I didn't think you could have a family member as a registered childminder and get tax credits for it?

Original poster
beanieb · 25/03/2009 11:42

"I agreed with your post up to this point and then I didn't understand what you were getting at. Don't say what about men who choose to work?"

what I mean is that men don't get criticised much for choosing to return to work after having a baby IYSWIM. I see a lot of bitchyness towards women who choose to put their children in full time child care because they want to return to work.

Am not sure whatI was saying or if I have explained it well or if it's even relevant TBH but I think i knew what I meant when I wrote it

OP posts:
elvislives · 25/03/2009 13:25

How would the granny leave be workable? 2 weeks paid leave for every grandchild? For every grandparent- father as well as mother? So if each of my four older children had 4 children I could get another 32 weeks paid leave, and so could their father and the other grandparents. Mad. Where would all the money come from to pay for it?

My FIL did a lot of our childcare because he had retired as we needed it. Several of my colleagues at work look after grandchildren but have reached the stage in their life when they can afford to go part time. As someone else said if they want to be paid, grandparents can register as childminders.

juuule · 25/03/2009 13:32

They would only have to register as childminders to be paid by the state. Their own children could still pay them even if they weren't registered cm.

StewieGriffinsMom · 25/03/2009 13:41

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Flibbertyjibbet · 25/03/2009 13:47

Ok it was a poll of grandparents, asking them if they would like to get tax credits or other funding for looking after their grandchildren. So they are bound to say YES I think.

Relatives registered as childminders don't qualify for the childcare tax credit bit unless they are childminders who take a relatives child as part of their business - ie they have to be looking after other non-relative children as well and not just their little relative.

I have no grandparent help.

unavailable · 25/03/2009 13:53

I heard a representative of some grandparents organisation on the radio this morning saying that grandparents often feel under pressure to help out with their grandkids, and at least payment would be some recognition of their contribution.

My though was, dont do it if you dont want to and if you want to be paid talk to your son/daughter. I felt quite cross. I'm not really sure why - maybe the inference that the state should be responsible for everything, even within families. Quite often it is the same people that then go onto complain about the "big brother" state.

As for gps leave - there will be many mums- to-be going pale at that thought. Who wants the parents/inlaws permanently around for 2 weeks after the birth.

LilRedWG · 25/03/2009 13:55

So, if my MIL looks after DD then she'll get paid by the government, but if I do I won't. Err - odd! Surely if anyone should be paying MIL for looking after my DD, then it's me and DH.

Flibbertyjibbet · 25/03/2009 13:56

I must admit that I know a lot of parents who just expect that granny will look after the child for several full days a week - if not full mon-fri, for free childcare.

I can understand some of them thinking they would like some compensation for it.

HolidaysQueen · 25/03/2009 14:00

I stopped listening at the point they announced the granny leave idea - I froze, and felt faint: 4 grandparents descending on us for the first 2 weeks of my child's life to "help out" when in reality they'll out-competing each other for cuddles, while i hang out in the kitchen making dinner for them and sort out who stays in which room and only get to bond with my baby over nappy changes... Ugh! It's the best contraceptive I've heard of!

UnquietDad · 25/03/2009 14:03

It's an interesting idea. I see the radio discussion this lunchtime brought the usual child-hating venom along the lines of "why do people have kids if they can't stay at home and look after them?" Yeah, thanks for that.

GLaDOS · 25/03/2009 14:14

Is this not a combination of things? Including the studies that show kids who are looked after by a family member like a grandparent, don't suffer as much stress as with a CM or nursery?

I want to have a think about this before automatically listing the reasons why it's a 'bad' idea.

Has anyone listed pros yet?

This would be a huge help to retired people, espcailly women on low pensions.

It has the benefits found in studies to the children.

I'm sure it would save a lot of parents stress too.

The 'granny leave' is a putative entitlement only. It isn't complusary and I know a lot of people who would like this actually.

55% is a substantial amount of people so there is a ultilitarian and democratic element.

This is a real step forward in valuing parenting - renumeration for 'women's work' is a massive step forward!

This will probably help people who have kids earlier, but many people who do wait to have kids already have more resources anyway, good jobs, etc. Not all, but more than in the 18-34 catagory that was polled.