Grandparents relied on to provide childcare

One in four mothers would have to give up work if grandparents did not step in to provide childcare, a survey has found.

The survey of 1,000 adults by the charity Grandparents Plus found an increasing reliance on grandparents to help with childcare.

Only 7 per cent of parents said they did not rely on their mother or father to have their children while they worked. Just over half said they would want a grandparent to step in and two-thirds supported grandparents being able to ask for unpaid leave to help with childcare.