Employment

Unpaid childcare

About this topic

Unpaid childcare records whether people aged 15 years and over spent time looking after a child without pay, including their own children and other people's children. It reflects the role of parents, grandparents, extended family, and community networks in caring for children.

This topic helps show how childcare is supported outside the paid care sector and can highlight the role of family-based care. It is best interpreted with household type, employment, and income, because unpaid childcare patterns are shaped by family structure, work arrangements, and access to formal childcare.

Interpretation notes

  • This records unpaid childcare in the previous two weeks for people aged 15 years and over, including care for a person's own children and other children.
  • It identifies whether childcare was provided, not the number of hours or whether care was regular, occasional, or shared with formal services.

Key insight

In 2021, not providing unpaid child care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Ingle Farm, accounting for 69.2% (5,496 people). This share was higher than Salisbury (C) (67.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid child care, which increased by 5,471 people, while its share fell by 0.2 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid childcare

Ingle Farm - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid childcare for Ingle Farm in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Salisbury (C) and change since 2016.

Unpaid childcare snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Ingle Farm, with comparison markers for Salisbury (C).

Ingle Farm
Salisbury (C)

Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)

2021 count

1,974

% of total

24.8%

Change from 2016

+16.5pp

Cared For Own Child Ren

2021 count

1,413

% of total

17.8%

Change from 2016

+9.5pp

Cared For Other Child Ren

2021 count

521

% of total

6.6%

Change from 2016

+6.6pp

Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren

2021 count

47

% of total

0.6%

Change from 2016

+0.6pp

No Unpaid Child Care Provided

2021 count

5,496

% of total

69.2%

Change from 2016

-0.2pp

Not Stated

2021 count

473

% of total

6.0%

Change from 2016

-16.2pp

Data table

Unpaid childcare for Ingle Farm. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).

Unpaid childcare for Ingle Farm. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).
Unpaid childcare for Ingle Farm. Unpaid childcare. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Salisbury (C)%Count%Salisbury (C)%Countpp
Provided Unpaid Child Care (All)1,97424.8%27.2%38.3%28.8%+1,971+16.5pp
Cared For Own Child Ren1,41317.8%20.1%38.3%20.6%+1,410+9.5pp
Cared For Other Child Ren5216.6%6.5%00.0%7.6%+521+6.6pp
Cared For Own Child Ren And Other Child Ren470.6%0.7%00.0%0.7%+47+0.6pp
No Unpaid Child Care Provided5,49669.2%67.9%2569.4%65.0%+5,471-0.2pp
Not Stated4736.0%4.9%822.2%6.2%+465-16.2pp
Total7,944100.0%100.0%36100.0%100.0%+7,9080.0pp