Please Sign my petition to allow Granparents to be paid Childcare Vouchers!

neneromanova

brians_daughter wrote: »

I agree! Although i do appreciate that some grand parents may be quite young and not in a position to give up work to have the little un... but surely ppl have thought about childcare and costs etc when planning to have a baby.. or at least whilst pregnant? I know for 1 i had these issues clear in my head prior to even trying to make babies!

Yes but what about the people who were very careful but accidently got pregnant? Not everyone is lucky enough to plan. Sometimes, as much contraception you use, it's just not always enough.

Murtle wrote:

what happened to grandparents looking after the grandchildren because they actually wanted to??

Yes they may want to, but what about the grandparents who want to look after their grandchildren, but can't afford to? Plus which grandparent would look after their grandchild for a whole week, 9-5, for free? They wouldn't be able to afford it!

haddit

Well this post is going to pee of those judgmental few who believe the tax mans purse is all theirs!! Seems to be plenty of you on this so so supportive board!!

We have this very arrangement and I couldn't work without it. Granny (my mum) has trained and registered as an ofsted approved childminder. I am self employed and work long antisocial hours. We are entitled to £1200 in child care element per month so that is how I pay mum. The kids go to her house and she also looks after a non related child 2 mornings a week. She offers me complete flexibility, sometimes the kids stay over and she gets paid accordingly.

All above board and very fair - she works hard for the money believe you me! I say to anyone go for it - my mum retired from her well paid job to do this and it is worth her while and totally fair play.

sp1987

neneromanova wrote: »

Yes but what about the people who were very careful but accidently got pregnant? Not everyone is lucky enough to plan. Sometimes, as much contraception you use, it's just not always enough.



Yes they may want to, but what about the grandparents who want to look after their grandchildren, but can't afford to? Plus which grandparent would look after their grandchild for a whole week, 9-5, for free? They wouldn't be able to afford it!

It is then unfair on those without grandparents able to care for children as that family as a whole is financially benefitting. The child is not only getting grandmothers love and care but probably financial benefits aswell in that there is money circulating in the family that otherwise would not be. What about the child who may not have a grandma or have a grandparent who is unwell and thus not able to care for them, maybe even a deceased grandparent? That child not only misses out on being cared for by immediate family but misses out on the benefit of that extra money too. Many grandparents would spend a great deal of it on the grandchildren if they could afford to, days out etc. Children of working parents who have no access to grandparent care should not be further penalised. Plus where will all the unemployed childminders go when every grandparent in the land starts earning a wage for taking care of their grandchild? Where would you seriously draw the line, why not aunties, uncles, elder siblings of the child? You could theoretically leave school and make a career of looking after younger siblings, lol.

If grandma is looking after other children too having registered as a childminer, then that is quite legitimate and obviously the rules were made to allow for that.

Why can these grannies needing the financial assistance to care for a child full time not register as a childminder and have another child alongside their own grandchild? The poster aboves parent only cares for another child two mornings a week, hardly a hardship. Plus, I would imagine the ''extra children'' would be friends children anyway in many circumstances.

Bobl

Unbelievable! This is typical of the greed displayed in this country, and the fact that people think the state (taxpayers) should pay for their lifestyle. In the current economic climate, with masses of people out of work, there is no need to pay people to go back to work.

If Grandparents have the time to look after your kids they should do so free.

seven-day-weekend

Murtle wrote: »

what happened to grandparents looking after the grandchildren because they actually wanted to??

Many of them are only in their 50s and either still work or want a life themselves after bringing up their own children.

I certainly don't see why they should be expected to bring up someone else's for nothing.

However, I don't think that any but the very poorest should expect the state to pay for someone to look after their child.

Oldernotwiser

Murtle wrote: »

what happened to grandparents looking after the grandchildren because they actually wanted to??

Grandparents may have wanted to look after the children for the odd day or few hours a week but I doubt that many ever wanted to do it full time and for no remuneration!

Oldernotwiser

NASA wrote: »

I'm not signing it - old people usually have nothing better to do anyway - why pay them for a service they can do for free?

I do so hope you're joking and on so many counts!

Bobl

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Grandparents may have wanted to look after the children for the odd day or few hours a week but I doubt that many ever wanted to do it full time and for no remuneration!

Why help your own family for free when the taxpayer will stump up yet again!

I am a Grandfather and if I choose to look after my grandchildren I do so to help my family, I would never expect the taxpayer to subsidise my family choices. I have dogs, can I get some vouchers for someone to look after them when I go on Holiday please.

alwaysonthego_2

Bobl wrote: »

Why help your own family for free when the taxpayer will stump up yet again!

I am a Grandfather and if I choose to look after my grandchildren I do so to help my family, I would never expect the taxpayer to subsidise my family choices. I have dogs, can I get some vouchers for someone to look after them when I go on Holiday please.

I don't think ONW was meaning that she wanted tax payers money for looking after grandchildren, but her point was that grandparents have their own life and would not want to be looking after their GC full time without no financial incentive which is fair enough. I never rely on my parents for childcare and wait for them to ask me to have them for the day.

Oldernotwiser

Bobl wrote: »

Why help your own family for free when the taxpayer will stump up yet again!

I am a Grandfather and if I choose to look after my grandchildren I do so to help my family, I would never expect the taxpayer to subsidise my family choices. I have dogs, can I get some vouchers for someone to look after them when I go on Holiday please.

I don't think that the taxpayer should pay for this but neither do I think that grandparents should have to provide full time free childcare to enable their adult children to hold down a job.

As I said before, a few hours a week or the occasional emergency day is not the same as full time childcare!