Over recent years there has been a slow shift away from the perception of grandparents as state-dependent pensioners towards an acknowledgement of the role that they play in family life. Many grandparents provide care, usually on an unpaid basis, for their grandchildren; some also offer fi nancial help and advice to their own children and to their grandchildren. Yet to date, very little research has been carried out in Northern Ireland into the contribution grandparents make to the lives of their extended families. This Research Update uses data from the 2004 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey to examine the ways in which grandparents support their families, the services they provide, the money they save the state and their own feelings about their role.