Due to lack of housing, disabled grandmother Bridget Farrell had to provide a home for 15 in her three-bedroom house.

'All parents need support and some need more from time to time. We have to give families whatever they need for them to function effectively. That includes support for parents at home and a more family-friendly environment in which they can raise their children. We need prevention and early intervention," says Celia Keenaghan, project manager of Investing in Parenthood, a report commissioned and funded by the health boards.

Six-month-old Nathan hasn't read this report. He squirms in his pram, a spark of hope in a family home where every day is a struggle. Nathan's father, Barry (21), has learning disabilities and is in a work programme.

Nathan's grandmother, Bridget Farrell, is a mother of eight, four of whom have learning disabilities. She has overcome serious health problems to care for Nathan, as well as her own children. Bridget is disabled and her husband is paid by the State to be her carer, yet like many women in her area of Quarryvale, she has had to be as active as a grandmother as she is as a mother. Unpaid and unappreciated by the State, Bridget is trying to hold everything together. At one stage, she had 15 people living in her three- bedroom house: six children, two of their partners, five grandchildren.

Nathan was born after Barry left home to live with his partner. When that relationship ended, Barry became homeless. To get shared care of his son, Barry needed a home. However, there is no housing provision for single fathers who want to rear their children. So Barry returned to his mother, who now cares for Nathan three days a week despite her disabilities.

One in three grandmothers in the area has unpaid, unsupported daily responsibility for childcare. It is not unusual to see three- and four- bedroom houses harbouring three generations: the parents and their teenagers, who now have partners and babies.

"Grandmothers are forced to take grandchildren or else their children and grandchildren are homeless," says Rosetta Dempsey, co-ordinator with the Clondalkin Development Project. "Many of the young single mothers dote on their babies, but when drugs are involved it's another story. Some grandmothers take in their grandchildren, but refuse to take in those children's parents as well."

As well as caring for Nathan, Bridget has her hands full with Áine (15) and Sarah (10), who also have learning disabilities. Another child, Seamus (18), is in residential care.

Áine is doing relatively well, but Sarah cannot speak and is incontinent. Bridget has to keep an eye on her constantly, and has chained the bathroom door to prevent Sarah painting the walls with nail varnish, pouring shampoo down the sink and flooding the house.

There are no playgrounds or facilities for Sarah and the other three children who live at home, and this is not an area where you would want to let your children roam. Bridget's son, Joseph (14), is very bright and is succeeding in school - as did several of the older children, with certificates on proud display in the kitchen.

The council gave Bridget a four-bedroom house a few years ago, which makes life "like a holiday" in comparison to having 15 people in three bedrooms, she says. "We do all have our problems and I'm sure there are people worse off then me. I see other families with children affected by drug abuse and I think, thank God that's not me."