The contribution of children to informal care: a Delphi study

Sociological studies of informal care have documented the contributions of adults, both female and male, however, the contributions of children to care-giving has been relatively under-researched. This paper reports data from a Delphi study of eduction and welfare professionals with experience of children with care responsibilities in their family homes. According to these professionals, children are involved in a range of care activities, and often there is a strong emotional component to this care-giving. It is argued that research into informal care needs to recognize the contributions made by children, and that the emotional content of such care-giving is crucial in understanding the character of such care relations.