Jury service: AIBU not to use emergency childcare service?

[yummertron]

Looking for some advice, from all, but especially anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I am due to start jury service tomorrow at 09.15. I have 2 DC (3, 15m) and a new nanny who started a few weeks ago. She normally works Monday and Tuesday, and my in laws do Wednesdays. For the (presumed) two weeks of JS we were going to use the nanny for Thursdays and in laws kindly agreed to do the Fridays in addition to their normal Wednesdays. So far so good.

However, my nanny called me an hour ago telling me she is poorly and will no longer be able to come to work tomorrow. I cannot ask my in laws as they are working tomorrow (and I would feel awkward asking anyway as they have already moved a lot of commitments to help with the Fridays). My parents live abroad. I have asked my sister, and whilst she very kindly offered to do the afternoons she is unable to help for the mornings as she is working.

I feel upset as I was looking forward to serving and had deferred my start date for my new job (due to start this weds) so that I could do this.

I am also concerned that the courts will not feel that a breakdown in childcare is reason enough not to attend. Has anyone had similar happen?

I don't feel it is fair on my DC to leave them with a complete stranger, but AIBU not to use some emergency babysitting service? And will I get fined!?

I've recently been on jury service - there's generally a lot of waiting around, first morning is mostly admin, watching a DVD about jury service etc and they have more jurors than needed to account for fact that some people will be ill/have emergencies on the day.

I would call first thing and say due to childcare emergency you won't be able to attend until the afternoon, I expect they will be fine. It's not as though you are trying to wriggle out of the whole thing.

It only becomes tricky if you are sworn-in on a trial as then you're delaying the whole court process if you can't attend.

Phew. Much more reassuring. Thanks.

Yes OH is the father to the DC. He works in primary health care so would have a number of patients he would let down were he to take care of the DC tomorrow at such short notice. Yes he could do it, but it would impact lots of other people too. He is taking time off next week when there is more notice.

Supportive meant emotionally rather than practically in this case. I think that he feels that I am unnessarily getting my knickers in a twist over this, and it frustrates him, and he hasn't been good at showing his empathetic side this evening!

Slight tangent but I've said this on another thread but I would be happy to do jury service and it never ceases to amaze me that I've never been called into the jury pool.

I have always been on the electoral roll, am flexible, kids grown up enough to manage ... I wish I could 'opt in' to give someone else a break.

Anyway OP good advice from pp.

How did it go?

Thanks Scarlet.

Rang the court first thing and they were very understanding. They have deferred my service to a later date, although if a similar thing were to happen next time then I would need to write a letter to the presiding judge to consider my case. Much less stressful and terrifying than I was imagining.

Good advice from the MN collective!

That's great! The initial letter is so official that you can't imagine any flexibility but actually it isn't so rigid once you contact them. Hopefully it'll be a long time before you get called again-if you do at all!