Many parents rely on other family members for childcare, particularly grandparents. There are many advantages to family childcare. Formal childcare can be expensive, so it can help parents' budgets if family can help. Parents know that their child is being cared for by someone that they trust, and family members get to spend time with their loved ones. There can be benefits for family members too such as National Insurance credits for Grandparents.
Although this arrangement can benefits everyone, it may not always work out as planned
Talking about practical issues and setting some ground rules at the beginning can help avoid problems later. This may prevent family tensions caused by different expectations.
A family childcare agreement can be useful for everyone involved. It can help the parent and caregiver to work together and provides consistency for the child. Some areas that you could include are:
- location childcare will take place
- hours and planning holidays
- money
- equipment such as car seats and stair gates
- special information about the child
- discipline, routine and play
- safety
These are just a starting point. Every family will have their own ideas about planning and working out day-to-day responsibilities. When you make your arrangement make sure you cover areas that are important to you and your family.
If your family members are looking after your children for longer periods of time, this is called kinship care. Read more about this on the Family Rights Group website.
