Worrying about childcare as a key worker

[Mamaofone16]

Me and my partner are currently key workers with no chance of working from home. My family members have been watching my toddler son since I went back to work. With the country being on lockdown are they allowed to still come to watch him? I'm worried if they aren't and they get stopped by police. Anyone else in this situation?

I am in exactly the same position. My sister was watching mine, we see (saw) each other every day, our children go to the same nursery so thought as long as we were fanatical about hand hygiene and were displaying no symptoms it was a risk we could take. I foolishly didn't apply for a school place as I thought it would be safer to send them there. Now the school is refusing to take any more children. I'm on annual leave for 2 more days but I'm at a loss what to do.

It's fine. That falls under the category of "leaving home to provide care for a vulnerable person". It's safer for your child than a school or nursery which could have 30+ kids all going to separate families each night. If both households are socially distancing, you're just sort of doing it as one extended household.

Just keep your key worker status proof on you on the journey to drop your child off, it's fine.

Will that still be ok if they are watching my son in my home do you think?

This is exactly what I was wondering.

My parents have an annex with a separate entrance and it’s own bathroom/kitchenette. They’re self isolating due to being older (late 60s) and my DDad having mild asthma. DP and I are both key workers (food production and supermarket). We can’t use school as it’s sign in at 8.45, we both start at 7am when he’s on days.

Plan was to drop DS (10) off to the annex with a packed lunch and his laptop so there’s an adult nearby if he breaks his leg/there’s a fire but I’ve no idea if we’re allowed now.

If we can’t we’re going to have to leave him in the house for 6 hours, calling every hour. Would rather not but work are in desperate need. I’m a cash office worker and we’re one down already. It’s not a job you can learn quickly.

It’s fine. Police are not going to be stalking individuals. There aren’t enough police to do this. I imagine they will mainly be dispersing groups or dealing with non-compliant businesses.
DH and I are both emergency services and MIL/SIL will be looking after DD occasionally. It’s that or one of us stays at home.

Wondering similar. DH and I are both frontline key workers, usually have family childcare two days a week and nursery one. We'd agreed with nursery to go up to 3 days during this time (and pay) now they're closing completely! We can't do our jobs from home, my mum had offered to come two days a week she's 58 and in good health, she's also been following the appropriate social distancing for a while now. Is this an exceptional circumstance? Both parents front line key workers, child under school age, no key worker childcare provision???

Ds is 15 months

I’m a lone parent key worker and my parents have taken the government advice that they cannot look after my children from now on. I have no other childcare options so awaiting to hear what my manager suggests

Have you tried contacting local childminders? There will be some that will accept new key worker clients. Maybe ask on a relevant local Facebook page as otherwise you could be doing a lot of ringing around. Good luck and thank you for everything you're doing.

Childminders are allowed to take key workers children.
And FYI police were stopping people in Co durham yesterday checking where people were going.

Concerned for my DD & Family
My DD is A Key Worker NHS Nurse , working 3 Days PW.
She has 3 Girls 13, 8 & 7 years .
Her Husband is a Vulnerable Person .
She is continuing to work at present in the Community . Her role is presently winding down her Patient list to enable her & her colleagues to be available to work in our Hospitals.
My Two Little GD are in School .
My SIL is in Self Isolation in an Airbnb . The reason for this is he has no Spleen & obviously needs to protect himself & his Family at this time.
He is paying for his Airbnb. He has his own Business that means he can work remotely & liaise with his Employees. I have no idea whether this is still open for business at this time before anyone shouts . It’s a Dispensing Opticians & Employee’s have space around them .It is NOT open to the public , Again I have no idea what’s what with that .
My Daughter meanwhile is managing the house , getting the Girls to School & to work. Getting to work on Monday & Tuesday later due to the fact that she was taking them in for 9am therefore being 90minutes later into work .
She was told that she needed to make up that lost time ie 3 Hours .
So now she has to make up three hours on a separate day ( Friday ) & also in future take the Girls into School earlier For Breakfast Club at a cost of £28 Per Day . Ie either be 90 minutes late per day & have to make that time back by going in on a 4th Day or pay a total of £28per day for Breakfast Club in order to start work at 8am .
While all this may seem fine in the normal course of things .
During the normal time of which we are not now In SIL too, the Little Girls to School enabling DD to leave for work at 7:30am . For DD to do this now she will as stated have to either pay £28pd or pay back the 3 hours lost in working !
None of this seems fair , she is working under extreme pressure for £11 PH .
This isn’t even taking into account that fact that my 13GD is left at home for all of this time . Which is not good . She is a good girl & has to log on & have set work to complete , which she does . She also walks the dog & made dinner on Monday off her own back which is a lovely thing to do as she has just hit that Teenage Thing !!!!!!
As you can see this is all very messed up .
Just as an aside , my DD is a committed NHS Nurse having trained before having Children , working for 10years & taking 10years out until the youngest went to School . In her own words she isn’t working for the Money , it’s a vocation ,she is trained & wants to continue to do so .
She had a fight on her hands with the SIL as he is a bit of a Chauvinist .
But that’s another thing altogether .

Contact local nurseries or childminders. A local childminder told me they are being told they have to close and only take on children of key workers. She seemed to think there might be a government grant for this? Hopefully a local childminder (or the local authority?) might be able to provide you with some information.

For people saying oh just call a random childminder, would you really leave your 15 month old with someone they've never met before, no settling in time, an environment they've never been in? I also don't see how sending him to a childminder is less risky transmission wise than my fit and healthy mother who is following all guidance driving directly from her home to mine to care for him while the nursery he is used to is closed, yet we're not allowed to do it. Also in my area there is no space with childminders the only provision left is with the children's social care team, who have very complex and vulnerable children to care for. Also who's going to pay for the childminder I've already paid for April at nursery because they said they were going to be open for keyworkers.

@Souldancediva
Your daughter's trust are unsupportive assholes! Really as long as she meets her patient caseload, it shouldn't matter if she goes in late. Does she work through lunch?
Can she take the 3 hours owed as AL?
If not and she can afford to, tell her to jack her job in. £11 in hour with a vulnerable husband and struggling with childcare just isn't worth it.

Myself & husband are classed as key workers - My 2.5 is in an independent nursery it's closing tomorrow waiting on local council regarding any positions for key worker children available

My 8.5 year old has been to key working provisions two days this week

Today my mum is due to have them (works in hospital)
OH - key worker also has now said he'll work then come home for me to work so they don't go to Grandmother as he's worried about infection (few of my mums colleagues have tested positive)

But my sister also works in the hospital & I'm due to have her daughter my niece Monday so surely that's still ignoring infection control me having her?!

Goodness knows what we do next week - juggle that when it comes as each relative was going to do one day (three days in total)

The other relative isn't in a hospital / care environment

But I'm unsure of OH reasoning I understand the infection control thing but we're not self isolating??