'Informal childcare' refers to childcare provided by grandparents, other relatives, friends and neighbours. This study combined a literature review with secondary analysis to draw together good quality evidence on the subject of informal childcare, and to highlight the gaps in that evidence.

    Authors

    Luke Sibieta
    Luke Sibieta

    Research Fellow

    Luke is a Research Fellow at the IFS and his general research interests include education policy, political economy and poverty and inequality.

    Report details

    Publisher
    Nuffield Foundation

    Suggested citation

    Brewer, M et al. (2012). The role of informal childcare: a synthesis and critical review of the evidence . London: Nuffield Foundation. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/role-informal-childcare-synthesis-and-critical-review-evidence (accessed: 13 July 2025).

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