The Conservative Party has said that if it was in power it would consider making access to tax credits more flexible so that working parents can benefit if the children are looked after by their grandparents.
In a speech to Age Concern last week, Tory leader David Cameron called grandparents 'the unofficial childminders of Britain'. He said, 'To get help with childcare bills, you should not have to put your children in a state-run nursery. The money could follow the choices of parents themselves, and that choice will often be for grandparents to look after their children.'
But the National Childminding Association said that the Mr Cameron's use of the word 'childminder' was confusing informal care by family and friends with professional home-based childcarers.
Andrew Fletcher, director of policy and public affairs at the NCMA, said, 'By providing state funds to support informal and unregulated care, via family and friends, the policy reverses the consensus built up over many years that childcare is the start of a child's early education experience and is best provided in a safe and supportive environment and independently regulated.
'Childcare is not simply about finding a place for children to be while their parents are at work. It is also about giving them the early learning opportunities that support their development and prepare them for their time at school.'
Diana Whitworth, co-director of the charity Grandparents Plus, welcomed the opening of a debate about the role of grandparents as childcarers.
She said, 'It's a hugely complicated area. Some grandparents would welcome some form of payment, but this would need to be balanced against the fact that grandparents' relationship with their children is unique and not based around an economic relationship.'