Families Green Paper targets carers
Grandparents will receive greater support and legal rights under proposals set out in the Government's families and relationships Green Paper published last week.
Children's secretary Ed Balls announced plans to abolish the legal requirement for grandparents to apply for court permission to gain access to their grandchildren when contact is denied.
Mr Balls said that grandparents were the unsung heroes when it comes to informal care arrangements and revealed the launch of a new website called BeGrand, offering advice on how grandparents can get more involved with their grandchildren's lives.
Other initiatives to help support families include an online eligibility checker of the types of financial assistance for childcare parents may be entitled to. Children's centres are to be urged to be more accessible and welcoming. Centres will be encouraged to offer a 'walking bus service', and where they are co-located with schools, to take a more pro-active role in helping them manage beforeand after-school clubs for the pupils.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said, 'We were particularly interested to read that government intends to launch an online eligibility checker which will offer advice about the financial support for childcare. A key barrier for many families is the complexity of funding on offer, and we believe that it is important to look at how this can be further simplified to improve take-up and confidence - for example, through a system enabling direct payments to childcare providers.'
Fathers are also to receive more support with a package of new measures, including a Dads' Guide, distributed through Bounty packs for new parents, and guidance from the Royal College of Midwives on how midwives can better engage with fathers.
Further measures set out in the Green Paper include offering families with children under five, or expecting a child, a clear minimum of services across health, early learning and care, and employment. Services will be given materials and training by the Family and Parenting Institute which they can use to make their provision more family-friendly. Parents of disabled children will be offered more help through specialist relationship counselling services.
Flexible working for parents will be improved, with the possibility of changing the notice period for fathers for their two-week paternity leave. Currently fathers have to give at least 15 weeks' notice to take up this entitlement.
The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have also set out their plans to make Britain more family-friendly (see page 5).
'It is vital that Government focuses on the details that help families every day. Ensuring families have access to the full choice of high quality registered childcare available should remain a priority.' - Catherine Farrell, joint chief executive, National Childminding Association
'We are pleased Government is recognising the role of grandparents. We have yet to see compelling evidence that tax breaks for marriage would actively encourage more stable relationships. The state could end up penalising people when they need help and support the most. We are looking to all parties to see how they will invest in parental leave and flexible working.' - Katherine Rake, chief executive, Family and Parenting Institute
'There are big issues about the future of Sure Start, the Child Trust Fund and tax credits, on which parties have different policies. These must not be drowned out by politicians trading blows on marriage.' - Anne Longfield, chief executive, 4Children
'The most important step would be more paternity leave - the best way to ensure that more fathers get stuck into caring for their children early on.' - Rob Williams, chief executive, Fatherhood Institute
