To ask if you would employ.....

[IceAndASlice123]

A nanny who has crohns or colitis?

How badly does it affect your day to day life?

I’d be concerned it might be difficult for you to be as reliable as we need but what would concern me more would be if it was likely to impact you wrt caring for a baby/toddler at home or collecting older children from school in time etc

If it’s well under control then no problem.

I don't see why not as long as he/she has enough energy to look after the baby/children and is able to fulfill all duties

As someone who has quite bad IBS, I say why not?

Plus, if knowingly employing someone with a long term health condition that affects daily living for more than 12 months, they would fall under the DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT... so be careful.

Once you take on someone who has a pre-existing illness, you then HAVE to make allowances, such as extra time off for hosptital appointments, drs, sickness days, maybe even longer breaks (IE toilet!).

If I were you, I'd contact ACAS (Google it) and they'll tell you what you'll need to know ... They're the arbitration people, and know EVERYTHING about employment law, and rights as an employer, and for the employee.

100% honestly, if they were in a field of equally suitable candidates, probably not. My friend, who is a teacher, has Chron’s. Despite being excellent at her job, she has, through no fault of her own, a long record of absences and I’d feel like a complete shit for doing it but if I needed reliable childcare I wouldn’t knowingly hire someone with the same condition.

To be honest. I think I'd be nervous. My work has a fairly strict absence policy and we have no other support near by so reliability is very near the top of my list. I'd be concerned that when you had a flare up you'd be unavailable to mind them.
I'm sorry 😐

I asked the question so need to be able to take the answers hard as they may be to hear.
If I am honest I would be worried to employ someone with either condition too. The problem is, it is such an unpredictable disease.

Sadly crohns and colitis don’t yet come under the disability act.

If they did I’d have had my employer totally to rights a few years back.

After 20+ years of dealing with it the only thing I can hand in heart say is that is bloody unpredictable.

Would I employ someone with it. Yes.

Would I employ someone to look after my child with it. No.

Because I can’t look after my own child when I’m in a flare.

It would depend on the particular individual circumstances. Whilst obviously it would be inappropriate and illegal to discriminate against someone with a long term health condition, it is not illegal or immoral to decline to employ someone whose physical situation means that they cannot meet the requirements of the job. "Reasonable adjustments" can only go so far, and do not include accepting that significant chunks of the job don't get done, or that the employee is only effectively available part-time and sporadically/unpredictably when the job needs full time and predictable hours. If the (potential) employee can indeed meet the requirements of the job then that's great and they should be judged on their merits and experience compared to other candidates without reference to their health condition.

Not for a nanny job, no but I would for other types of jobs.

What FossiPajuZeka said. We have previously employed a nanny with a disability, she was fantastic and the adjustments were reasonable, and we'd do the same again.

With Crohn's my understanding is that it could be difficult to manage the core demands of the job. To me one of those is being able to be out and about for long periods of time, and another is to be extremely reliable - it's unsettling for young children to have a changing roster of carers, as well as being logistically and financially incredibly hard to find frequent trustworthy short notice cover. Certainly for my family member with Crohn's this would be very hard to guarantee.

Not for a nanny job.

I don't think someone with either condition would be a suitable full time nanny, they're very restricting illnesses and I'd be concerned that, during a flare up, the child would be left alone for long periods of time. That would be my main issue actually as long and frequent toilet visits are unavoidable and I don't know how that could be factored in when it's hard enough to make time to have a quick wee when you're looking after a child.

This is really sad to read especially as I feel I am about to become unemployed from my current job as a part time nanny. Feel very despondent and worried about the future. Childcare has been something i have studied for years and only thing I am really qualified in. I don't want to do nursery work as I find them such bitchy environments.

The sad thing is, I agree with you all in terms of the nannying (Which I want to do). My condition is well controlled but who knows if it will be next month, three months time or a year. 😐

@IceAndASlice123
I’m sorry these replies must be hard to tead(mine included), 🌷but at least you understand the issue

You’re employed as a nanny now, how long have you been with them and how has this horribly unfair condition affected your work?

Would a position, that most nannies hate so they’re harder to fill, where aparent works from home, for themselves be worth considering?

A friend of mine worked from home, for herself and had a wonderful nanny her nanny got ill and even when she was ‘better’ she was left with something similar, but my friend could work around it largely and they set up some ‘safe places ’ Etc that if the nanny was home alone with the kids she could put one in each & know they were safe (if not terribly impressed!!) The nanny would stay later sometimes or do a weekend day so my friend could work then instead and between them they kept the show on the road & the nanny (not required once the kids were st school) is still a family friend.

I think I personally just wouldn't disclose it until I had the job if it was at all possible.

I was assessed by occupational health at my last firm for bad IBS, and they concluded it would be classed as a disability because it had a severe, long term, detrimental impact on my ability to conduct every day tasks, especially unmedicated, which is how it should be assessed. I was protected by the equality act once I had the job but I wasn't going to risk being written off as a candidate by disclosing prior to appointment if I could avoid it.

It doesn't impact at all on the current part time job I do now but its only a couple of hours each time. I was back there the day after my colonoscopy and since diagnosis have had only one day off sick and that was with a migraine so unrelated to the bowel disease.
It's sad but I get where you are all coming from. You are right, maybe someone who works from home may take me on. Something to look into.

No, not for childcare. Friend with Crohn's is constantly in and out of hospital and shes had her diagnosis for 5+ years now. They’d be completely unreliable as a form of childcare and it could result in me losing my job. Plus the exhaustion that comes with it would mean I’d not feel able to leave my DC and know they’d be adequately cared for.

I hope that you find something though, regardless of any medical conditions you still deserve employment. Perhaps consider a different career path though? It can’t be easy atm

Singlebutmarried Crohns and colitis are definitely covered under the Equality Act if they’re severe enough. From the government website:

You're disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010

As far as I know, the preceding Disability Discrimination Act had similar wording.

I’m sorry you had a bastard of an employer .

And to you too OP, for being in this situation. If your condition’s been under control for a few years, you might be able to find someone who’ll employ you, especially as previously mentioned if they work from home or can otherwise be flexible if you have a sudden flare.

Thank you. Unfortunately most/all my qualifications are in childcare and its all I have done all my life/all I am good at 😢

You could look into housekeeping roles. Similar that it's working for a family but they wouldn't be (solely) relying on you for child care.

How about being a TA in a school?

Yes that is an idea. I just love the baby and toddler age but have to accept it won't work for me with this condition

Hi,

I have ulcerative colitis. I am sorry you are feeling like you can't do the work you love.

I have never been hospitalized except for tests and for unrelated surgery. I know I am lucky though. Right now I am feeling quite good on Entyvio infusions every four weeks. The treatments are getting much better. I believe there will be an Entyvio injectable pen like for Humira fairly soon, which will cut out having to go to an infusion center.

I wondered why you could not work in a nursery/preschool setting where there is backup if you can't work one day ? You would also have ready access to toilets. In Canada we also have play therapists or child life specialists who work in children's hospitals. Perhaps your training could work there?

Don't give up. I had a successful career in law despite my chronic illness. I won't say it was easy and I know one or two of my employers struggled to understand, but we worked through it.

It's not that I can't work at a nursery or preschool, its just I don't like the atmosphere and had some bad experiences there.
It might have to be my only option though. It's frightening when its the minority to not have had surgeries or long hospital stays. Sometimes I find it all so upsetting and frightening.

Having lived with someone who had it absolutely not.

My friend was off work for 18 months of the 3 years I lived with her.

If you are a parent needing reliable childcare it would be an absolute disaster and not fair on either party.