To only work very part time?

Do you enjoy your job?
Do you get paid to be a foster carer?

If you don’t need this job then I’d tell them to shove it!

We have lots of staff who are PT and they are just as valued as the FT ones, in fact some work twice as hard!

Lots of peoples situations mean they can only work PT.
They sound jealous and bitchy - I would not want to work in this environment.

Most people would struggle with 4 kids. I have 3 and chose to. It’s hard.

that being said, what’s stopping you doing 3 days a week school hours?

So what though?

You're not the only woman in the world to work 2 days a week.

Have you posted about this before OP?

Who's blaming the OP here?

People are just saying that the workload of her colleagues is not her problem

but her circumstances are not the colleagues' problem either. They rightly demand not to be affected, and management need to employ someone else.

Colleagues would be stupid to blindly accept extra work for no extra pay, why should they?

Management is being blamed, because whoever is in charge messed that up and needs to fix it

I think I have lost track of what the AIBU is.
For the OP she isn't unreasonable in working 2 days a week, whatever her reason, if that is what she requested and was permitted.
It also isn't unreasonable for her colleagues to be frustrated with having to do extra because the company seems to want to save money in not recruiting someone to make up the shortfall in hours.
This is why I am suggesting that they need to raise it with someone higher up. If the colleagues are making comments, then OP needs to perhaps respond and say to them they could also request flexible working if they wanted reduced hours like she did (reminding them that this is something that workplaces allow). Or to agree with colleagues that yes she is also finding the workload too much, and all collectively speak to HR
I am not really sure what else the AIBU is otherwise.

Not OP's circus or monkeys! Nice bit of blame there!
She asked for very, very good reason and was granted.
The complainers need to take it up with the higher powers and not gossip and be fucking horrid to the OP.

It's not your responsibility to cover the work outside your hours. If you were there full time before then you presumably have experience and expertise that your employer values.
I did the same when my DC started school. Worked two days a week term time only.
It was a perfect compromise to being a SAHM for me, my employer retained my 20 years experience.

I think I read your previous thread?

if your employer has no intention of hiring someone for the other 3 days then I do understand the resentment of your colleagues and managers but that’s not your fault it’s the fault of your employer who agreed to the flexible working request in the first place . Flexible requests shouldn’t have an impact on those around you - it’s just not fair - no matter the incredibly good thing you are doing by taking on 4 children. In the kindest possible way that’s your family problem to bare not that of your colleagues

Thank you for doing your best to keep the siblings together ❤️

Speak to HR let them know how you are coping with the change. Keep them upto date with how you are getting on.
This will be a massive adjustment for you all.

Sounds like your colleagues haven't got a clue how to behave in a workplace.

The setup sounds vaguely familiar. Has the fostering x 4 been posted about here previously?

Depends on the age of the children really
Going from 0 kids to full time kinship care must be difficult and it's important to keep your job, no matter how part time, just in case circumstances change once again.

Perhaps you can access some sort of assistance/grant with funding a course or career change into something that you will enjoy more and will eventually have better earning potential and flexibility

You can always get UC etc anyway so it doesn't really matter if it's not causing you financial trouble to work so little hours. You can increase or work extra once you've found your feet. But personally I would use this time to investigate changing employers or your field into something better where you will be more respected and a less toxic environment.

Well this is the issue then. A manager needs to speak to someone higher up and address this. It isn't fair on your colleagues to have an increased workload because you cut your hours and they didn't replace you. I guess the company don't want to do this as they are currently saving money.

This. If you dropped to two days your employer should have appointed someone for the three days a week.

Just ignore the bullies, what do we tell our children about bullying and bullies, it’s upsetting but it’s part of life

Not your problem, you arranged to go part time, it was agreed upon, and you are fulfilling your agreement. Certainly you are adding value to the company for 12 hours a week?

If they feel they need another part-timer to fill the extra work load, then that is up to management to organize.

When you went part time, did the company employ someone to do the other 3 days? I think this is the issue and where the colleagues may be angry. If you were working full time and then dropped your hours, but the other hours aren't being done by anyone then this is going to cause extra workload. The colleagues are wrong to take this out on you, as you are now working as agreed, and take this issue higher up if workload is unreasonable.

It’s absolutely not on you or your colleagues to make up the hours you’re not working now. Your employers need to hire someone for the other 3 days.
Most people would be annoyed to have to pick up this much extra work without financial remuneration

that's not mean if they have an extra workload - and not extra pay - because management is not providing enough staff.

Blaming the OP is wrong, and her personal circumstances are nobody's business and completely irrelevant.

But telling management: we lost a full-time worker, so we have do deal with unreasonable extra work is the right thing to do

You work your contracted hours and should continue to do so without guilt. Ignore all the comments about you. If there is a problem then it's up to them to raise it officially through the proper channels, but if you're working your contracted hours I don't see what they can do.

It also shows their total lack of understanding about what it is to be a kinship carer. The children have presumably been through a great deal of trauma to be in your care, and it's important you spend as much time as possible with them when you can give them your full attention. Working more is not going to achieve that, and in the end they're the priority.

they might have a point, you can't be doing that much between 9 and 3 , 2 days a week when you used to be full time. They're not wrong in demanding that management provide someone to deal with the extra hours or extra work they are given. Your colleagues workload should not be affected by your contract and change of contract.

But that's not your problem, someone agreed it was enough hours, and if they need extra worker, they'll have to recruit one.