Grandparent with the parents' role

Charity Grandparents Plus has called for big changes in the way grandparents who look after their grandchildren while the parents are at work are treated.

Whilst I don't agree with them entirely, there is a rather pointless rule in the childcare element of working tax credits, That is that you cannot claim a percentage of childcare costs back if the childcare is provided by a member of your family - only through a registered childminder or nursery. even if the member of your family has registered as a childminder. Children are happier with people they know best, and family are often more able to provide childcare over awkward hours and adapt to last minute changes. there is no real reason to disallow close family to be paid - the argument that family ought to help out for free does not really hold - grandparents , aunts and uncles need to work too, so cannot be expected to give free endless childcare. Why not actually give all parents te childcare element and allow them to do with it as they wish? For many mothers this would allow them more time at home with their child, rather than the state paying someone else to care for their child whilst they go to work, possibly to look after other peoples children themselves!