Nuclear family 'no longer the norm'
Grandparents are having an increasing role in bringing up their grandchildren
Children are increasingly likely to be raised by relatives other than their parents, a government-funded parent group has stated.
According to the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI), aunts and uncles, grandparents and siblings will all play a larger role in bringing up children as "communal parenting" becomes more commonplace due to workplace pressures and increasing divorce rates.
The body's chief executive Dr Katherine Rake told the Daily Telegraph that this means the traditional family model is no longer "the norm" and any government attempts to save the nuclear family are doomed.
Speaking to the news provider, she said: "Because people are having children later and because there is more divorce and separation, what is happening is that people draw on resources from right across the family and their families can be more involved."
According to the Grandparents' Association, 82% of children receive some form of care from grandparents.
The FPI's Family Trends report, which seeks to analyse the changing face of the UK's families and examine both mothers' and fathers' relationships with their offspring, will be released on 7th December.
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