AIBU to pay my friend for childcare

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We all know the news...
I have 24 hours a week to cover Childcare for my 3year old. Nursery is now closed and I'll be paying full fees.
I can't work and look after a toddler. It's just not possible.
My friend works for a pub and will undoubtedly be out of work imminently - she has childcare qualifications and a child of her own. WIBU to give notice to nursery and pay her instead?
My issue is - with social isolation in place - is this even allowed /recommended? My child will be mixing with hers and we'd be potentially swapping germs between houses. But what other 'emergency' childcare is there? Once you remove grandparents and nurserys from the equation, where else are we supposed to get childcare?

I get your dilemma but even childminders have been asked to close. If everyone does that it kind of defeats the object doesn’t it ?

Boris said yesterday to avoid asking older relatives to look after children, which I would take to mean it’s ok to do what you need to do as long as you’re mindful about following advice.

I think in these times you have to do what you need to to get by.

My only concern would be if things started to go wrong.

I'm asking family members to have DS next week while I work (not elderly or at risk).

I have no choice. I need to work.

The health minster said small mixing of none symptomic kids was safe. Just keep numbers low. Eg for a play dare have one child round. Under current advise what you are suggesting is fine x

I'm asking family members to have DS next week while I work (not elderly or at risk)

Do they want to do it?
What if they say they can't?

@The3Ls
That’s interesting. Do you know when the health minister said that? I had interpreted the school closure as also meaning we should avoid play dates etc. It would be a relief to have play dates (if we don’t go in to some kind of lock down very soon). Thanks

No!! Keep your child at home!! Are you mental?!?!?!

@TypingError they're fine with it, they've offered to help.

Although if lockdown happens I won't need it anyway as my work will close.

This seems like a perfectly good arrangement to me.

This is not the same as a play date, it's a necessary work situation.

But if you are working from home, you won't be the only one doing that with kids there too. I am trying to work with a four and 8 year old (been at home a month already) and it's tough to be honest!

Seems a good solution

It’s a sensible arrangement that you both benefit from. She won’t be counted as a childminder or early years setting because she’s not registered, and legally you can pay anyone you like to have your child they just won’t have business insurance.

I didn't realise they were advising childminders to close? Mine is taking on additional children to cover ones that can't go to school/school nurseries now.

On a Q and A session on BBC. To ve honest I'm an health care professional and in an area where many schools have already shut due to staffing so we ll be doing it. Just try and use a me people limit as much as possible and obviously change if symptoms. We are social distancing not complete lockdown - yet

I don’t see the problem at all. It’s one friend - who could do with the money! - not a setting where various families are intermingling.

@lyingwanker nothing is confirmed about childminders. We are waiting further advice. My understanding is that we can only work for essential key worker families such as teachers/shop staff/nhs staff but I really don’t know. I don’t believe we will be able to take lots of children though.

There are people in my town offering childcare services no matter what happens, if I could afford to do so I'd be doing the same as you

This sounds like a good idea to me. If you pay your friend what you paid the nursery, will it be enough for her financially? You would be perhaps then be self isolating as 2 families then...

While this sounds like a good idea it's not legal to pay someone to look after children in their home for more than 2 hours a day unless they are a registered childminder. They can be paid to look after your kids in your house and bring their kids with them.

I'm sure you'd be ok but I'd be worried someone would grass if it was me.

@blackteaplease
But surely normal rules won’t apply here? It’s an emergency situation here, people will have no option but to ask friends or relatives... I’d hope that there wouldn’t be anyone ‘grassing’ others up and even if they did, I’m not sure that fines would be enforceable.

• StrongMama1989 No!! Keep your child at home!! Are you mental?!?!?!* This hysteria is really starting to piss me off. Essential workers are needed, people on low incomes will work as long as they can, not everyone has the finances to stay at home!

HMRC are the difficult ones with this - they had a case years ago - I think it was 2 police women (cant remember exactly who) who did a shared job no money involved but took turns looking after each others children & HMRC said this came under recompense- I assume this has been reversed but it just shows you the mentality of this organisation.

She's rescinded the offer so she can properly isolate. She's just heading off the pass as I'm sure we're going into full shutdown soon.
But how on earth are other people doing WFH and childcare?
Working at night? At the weekend?
I know everyone is in this boat, but what on earth are we supposed to do?