Grandparents are often seen as the people popping in to spoil and dote on their grandchildren, not raise them. But it is estimated that there are around 100,000 grandparents in the UK bringing up children.
Analysis of the 2001 census data, the first time that statistics relating to family carers had been analysed, found that 173,200 children were living with a family member other than their parent, known as kinship care (see box, overleaf). The majority of these relatives were grandparents and, according to John Simmonds, director of policy, research and development at CoramBAAF Adoption & Fostering Academy, it is thought that this number has since increased.
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