It takes a village: social distancing abandoned to cover childcare

·         One in five (19 per cent) families have been using multiple child carers throughout lockdown

·         To cope with remote working parents have been relying on grandparents (9.6 hours per week) and aunties and uncles (8.2 hours per week) for childcare

·         Prior to COVID-19, parents collectively spent £2.9 billion per week on childcare, working out as £251.42 per week per child

·         Nearly half (47 per cent) of parents admit they have made no provisions for their child if something were to happen to them or the child’s other parent

New research¹ from Direct Line Life Insurance reveals parents are still relying on grandparents, godparents and aunties and uncles to care for their children during lockdown. In fact a third (33 per cent) of parents have been relying on family and friends for childcare support, with almost one in five (19 per cent) using multiple carers. 

Each week on average throughout lockdown children have been spending 9.6 hours being cared for by grandparents, 8.2 hours by aunties and uncles, 7.5 hours by godparents and 6.9 hours by friends. While lockdown rules are easing and single parent households are now allowed to exclusively meet with one other household, parents have been relying on extended ‘bubbles’ before these new easing of measures were implemented. 

Prior to the lockdown, children spent the most time in nursery, spending 16.5 hours per week on average there, followed by time with grandparents (10.7 hours per week) and childminders (9.2 hours per week).

Table one: Childcare from friends and family during lockdown

Source: Direct Line Life Insurance 2020

Chloe Couper, Business Manager at Direct Line Life Insurance, commented: “Clearly this is an incredibly stressful and tough time for parents who, prior to lockdown, would have been able to rely on other primary carers to look after their children while they are at work. With many parents needing to work full time from home, many parents are being forced to rely on friends and family members for childcare even if it means they have to break lockdown rules.”

Even with lockdown restrictions in place, children have been eating an average of six meals with grandparents a week and five meals with godparents, aunties and uncles and family friends each week.

Managing childcare arrangements in lockdown has brought sharply into focus the importance of childcare provision.  When asked if parents had made any provisions for their child’s care if something were to happen to them or their child’s other parent, nearly half (47 per cent) admit they have made no provisions. One in six (15 per cent) said they had only made financial provisions, while eight per cent said they had only made provisions for where the child would live. When looking at single parents, nearly two thirds (61 per cent) said they had made no financial or physical care provisions for their child if the worst was to happen.

Chloe Couper, Business Manager at Direct Line Life Insurance, added: “While it is difficult to think about, it is vital that parents consider who would care for their child if they were not able to and how this would be funded. Life insurance and critical illness cover can offer valuable financial security for dependents, helping put parents’ minds at rest, knowing their child would be provided for.”

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Notes to Editors

¹ Research conducted by Consumer Intelligence among a sample of 412 UK adults between 9^th and 16^th April 2020

² Research conducted by Opinium among a nationally representative sample of 2,004 UK adults between 17^th and 20^th March 2020

³ Collective childcare costs were analysed by multiplying the weekly average cost of childcare by the proportion of adults who pay for childcare

For further information please contact:

Claire Jarrett

PR Manager

Direct Line Group

Tel: 01651 832411

Email: claire.jarrett@directlinegroup.co.uk