Mumsnet need your opinions for Jeremy Vine show today!

as previously said - OK if govt is going to fund as a form of sickpay but I work for a small company - it will just encourage them to avoid parents and particularly single mothers.

Is the Gov going to put its money where its mouth is and allow empolyers to claim back the money (like they do with Statutory maternity Pay and Statutory Sick Pay? Surely this would reduce the potential burden on employers, remove the risk of a backlash for women workers, and reduce resentment from childrless colleagues. Incidentally - this should definitely be extended to cover all workers with caring responsibilities.

I think only fathers should have this right.

Then they'd have no excuse for not exercising it.

So, who is going to employ me?

I've been out of the workplace for several years having my children and looking after them pre-school.

I am still young enough to have more so I may need maternity leave and pay.

My children are at school with adequate before and after school clubs, but if they are ill, I will stay at home with them.

And my employer will pay me for it, and pay someone else to do my job.

Would you give me a job?

I think it's good news for childminders - there's a thread today about a sick child being left with her childminder, and the child reported she had been unwell at the weekend. Parents working for companies offering paid time off to care for sick dependents will be very attractive to childminders and nurseries.

I think it may create a two tier system in some workplaces: those with nannies who won't need to take advantage of this policy and those using nurseries/childminders, who will.

Personally, I think it's better to unite parents in the workplace, not divide them.

would make an enormous difference to me - 2 kids and no family to fall back on if too sick for nursery. wouldn't make as much difference as making childcare affordable.

Maybe it could apply only to company's of a certain size the way the flexible working laws do.

bad idea. agree with those suggesting any such policy should be applied to any dependants. from experience, it can be a lot easier to find someone to look after a sick child for a day that it is to find someone to look after a sick grandmother for the day, or make a hospital visit to help with consultant appointments, asking the right questions etc.

i know how lucky i am to work for a family friendly company which employs a lot of mothers and has a decent dependency leave policy.

Well, we already have this at my work (completely unofficially!) and as a previously childless employee I can't say I cared when other people phoned in to say they wouldn't be coming in because their child was sick.

It hasn't ever caused any resentment and none of the parents have abused the system. It maybe helps that we do have some work that can be done from home.

I think we always find it hard to picture how these things will work - I'm sure the same arguments were presented against paid sick leave (unfair on the well!) and paid maternity leave.

I agree that a set number of days would be a good way to go at least initially. Perhaps extend the SSP scheme to cover dependents sickness so that this was the minimum an employer could offer.

I think it is wonderful that some companies already offer this. I just feel that it would be unsustainable for a small company with a very limited workforce, and small profit margins.

My sister has this too. She works for NatWest in their call centre.

I got this as a state school teacher also.

I already do get time off if DD is sick, or other dependants. I think I get something like 5 days a year off, paid. Any more would be unpaid or at manager's discretion.

Mine is for any dependant - so doesn't just apply toparents. Can apply to spouses and to those looking after elderly or inform parents for example.

I think it will make it even harder for women with children to get back into the workplace. Good headline grabbing stuff from New Labour but an empty gesture that might backfire. Unfortunately.

It would be good for children. They shouldn't have to face "oh shit what will we tell work" reactions rather than "my darling you are not well poor you hop into bed with a hot non alcoholic toddy" imo. But my partner and i often have to repress the former.

I also think it would be particularly great for parents of disabled children, some of whom just cannot realistically work under current rules.

And more generally I think it would help end the culture of employees lying to employers when children are unwell. Anecdotally it seems that many people call in sick themselves rather than risk losing a days pay by telling the truth. I also think it is important to stress that this benefit would be open to PARENTS not just mothers and that employers should emphasize this to fathers.

I do accept that it might be hard to sell this to employees with no young children, however. I am often surprised by how strongly childless/free friends of mine feel that life is just not fair workwise and that them with the kids get all the breaks, leaving others to pick up the pieces. I think the only way to combat this is to have as much flexibility as possible for everyone who wants it.

I think there would be a lot of resentment from childless colleagues who have other caring responsibilities (eg elderly parents).

As someone struggling to get back into work after almost 4 years away, this is just another reason for someone not to employ me.

i think it is another step in the right direction (along with extended maternity cover). but it is a tiny step. i doubt concern over docked pay for a child's illness is what prevents mothers returning to work. as others have mentioned it is possible to get round this problem by fibbing and saying it is you that is ill. if the government seriously want more women to go back to work then they need to address why free day care is only available once children are of school age.

in my workplace there is a strong culture of not taking time off even if you are poorly. if mothers get this time off it will add to the perception that we are not the best employees. that does not mean it is a bad policy - it just isn't going to solve many problems mothers face.

Hmmm, not sure if this is a good idea tbh. Not sure I'd exoect my employer to pay me if my kids are ill and I can't be at work. Alot of people don't even get full pay if they are ill, let alone the kids.

Agree it would have repercussions aginst employing women with young children.

I would second the idea that you could "lose" some of your own sick days to put towards days off when those you care for are sick.

That way there's no need to lie when you call in to take the day off!

Obviously there's no easy answer and no matter what the decision, it won't please everyone!

Nice idea, but the burden on the employer of employing women with children has increased a great deal in the past few years. I suspect they will use it as yet another excuse as to why they don't want to employ women of child bearing age.

Too much likelihood of a backlash from the childless.

Understanding employers deal with this anyway. Those that are not understanding will just use this as an excuse to not employ mothers of small children, or make it so difficult that they give up.

The only useful purpose I can see it serving is as a step towards making it more socially acceptable for fathers to take time off to look after sick children.

I meant to add that this would make no difference to my decision to return to work. Flexible working hours and working from home are far more important for me.

Think it would definitely discourage employers from employing mums TBH. Smaller companies simply cannot afford to do this; there was backlash when they introduced the 'right' to apply for more flexible hours and again when they introduced extended maternity leave.
I appreciate Harriet Harman thinking of us though. But I don't think there are any easy answers to the prob.

And how come we're being asked, not Netmums... thought they were the new 'flavour of the month' (and less likely to swear or discuss anal sex

It seems like a nice idea in theory but impractical in practice because of all the reasons already stated. Perhaps if there was only a small set number of days that you could take paid before you had to go unpaid that might work. Or maybe you could opt for a new option of having your own yearly sickness allowance to include your childs sickness - that way childless employees or those with grownup children wouldn't feel like they were losing out.