The family is centre stage of many current policy agendas and this is an exciting time to expand the understanding of the wider benefits of learning as a family and in a family. This article aims to open up new discussions and debate on using the concept of "family capital". The author states that as the debate on the social value of learning and its contribution to the building of social cohesion becomes a higher priority in the Government's agenda, the time is right to explore in more depth how people are defining, using, and shaping the concepts and thinking on the outcomes and processes of intergenerational learning activities.