Is it time we all helped to provide voluntary child care

[Maryjane3227]

So I've read all the frustrated threads from parents wishing their children could return to school, and working in a school I know that September could mean "blended learning"(part-time hours in school, continuation of home learning).
How many mumsnetters would be happy to give 2 hours a week voluntarily to their communities to help with the child care provision that will be required if/when children are not in school come Sep?
If for example church halls or empty office spaces could be used, and all the necessary legal bumpf was completed, how many of us would help out for the good of everyone?
Or is this mess someone else's problem to sort out?

No thanks I only like my own kid

'legal bumpf'? Actually, I think the regulation of childcare is there to keep children safe.

I think the best solution is for more government funding for this issue, to give children the high quality, safe childcare that they deserve. I've done a lot of volunteering with children but volunteers are not an appropriate solution.

Everyone moans they want children back at school, but won’t help with this idea as they are too busy...

You do realise that children are entitled to an education by law? It’s actually a human right.
It is t a human right to expect my next door neighbour to look after my kids for free.

The children should be back at school.

I can see how it might help some people but no thanks. I am wfh pt and managing fine to homeschool my young child. I find looking after other children a nightmare so would not volunteer. I would not send my child either. The amount of people mixing and safeguarding would worry me.
I would however help out with my child's bubble at school if there was a need for it.

To be fair though, will it even be allowed. There is a staggered intake into schools and nurseries for a reason and holiday clubs aren't currently allowed to operate for the same reasons so several children in a church hall with untrained people is defo not a good idea.

With years and years of girl guiding under my belt, YABU. Parents do not appreciate volunteers anymore. They're so demanding and ungrateful that it's just not worth the bother. Look after you own kids then you won't have to micro manage others.

I don’t think it is going to work,expecting others to work for free to enable someone else to earn money.

Yes I would help out but I wouldn’t be comfortable putting my own kid into an unfamiliar setting with random people tbh

It's not practical on a large scale. No way of knowing who's trustworthy. What would happen if/when someone doesn't show up? Whoever's there will have to stay until they can find someone to cover for the missing person?

I can see this possibly working on a smaller scale among a group of friends and family who know one another and have accountability to one another but you might struggle to free up enough time to work more than PT hours.

christ no.

i love my kids. But not other people's.thanks

christ no.

i love my kids. But not other people's.thanks

Yet all you will get on here is a slew of posts from people saying "I work full time, I have 9 DCs, our school is 6 miles away, how do you expect me to give my time up?"

Having spent the last 10 years giving up considerably more than 2 hours a week to looking after other people's children voluntarily, welcome to my world!

There are voluntary organisations which do very valuable work in schools, eg Coram Beanstalk and NSPCC.
Volunteers are trained and have DBS checks.
They’re not just some randoms off the street.

Safeguarding is vital which is one of the reasons why children need to be back in school as safely as possible.

Pages and pages of threads asking teachers to think outside the box to get children back in school.
Of course the Govt and teaching unions have the responsibility here but some positive thinking wouldn’t go amiss.

I’m a retired teacher - sorry but I won’t be taking unpaid liability for other people’s children. Especially not in an environment such as a church hall that doesn’t have CCTV, reception staff, locked gates or other safety measures, and where the other staff haven’t had safeguarding training etc. If anything goes wrong as a volunteer I’m not a member of a Union which will cover me and provide legal support. Nope nope nope.

I think our children deserve a better solution than being left with my entirely unqualified self alongside perhaps dozens of other people they don't know. I certainly wouldn't allow my own children to be in this provision. Meanwhile we have actual childcare professionals being prevented from working.

I would definitely volunteer to help out in schools if it was needed, but I am not a parent so I am not associated with any schools. I have an enhanced DBS. However, it is a safeguarding issue. No first aid training, no experience or qualifications to teach, etc.

How many mumsnetters would be happy to give 2 hours a week voluntarily to their communities to help with the child care provision that will be required if/when children are not in school come Sep?

Secondary school children don't need childcare. They need TEACHERS. If you could just rustle up a Mumsnetter with a degree in biology, one with a degree in chemistry both of whom are experienced in the Scottish curriculum and at Adv H level, and a third who is a drama and nutrition expert, I'm sorted.

Or - here's a radical idea - just open the fucking schools. Full time.

In terms of virus spreading, how would that be any safer than opening schools?

I would not volunteer. I'm not qualified in any way to look after children

It shouldn’t be necessary. Back to normal we should go, as we were pre lockdown. It’s bad enough schools not going back to normal this school year. And it would be absolutely crazy for this to be dragging on beyond September.

How would this be any less risky (in terms of covid transmission) than just opening up schools as normal? Let’s just address the actual issue: children should be in full time education from 4-16. That was a well respected law up until March. Let’s not be too quick to give up on the children’s human right and start opening our own replacement schools where children are not taught the curriculum and are not safeguarded sufficiently.

Oh and I have an advanced DBS (or Scottish equivalent) issued for running an afterschool club in school, by the school.

There's NO WAY I'm volunteering to let the government off the hook on this one.

Sorry but whilst well intentioned, this is a terrible idea. How exactly is having loads of random adults look after loads of random children a safer childcare solution in terms of covid 19 than sending kids to school / nurseries? Honestly it would just be safer to open the schools, childminders and nurseries because at least you can trace who kids have been with, and control who kids play with, a lot easier in the event one of the kids had suspected covid19, rather than a community hall with god knows who turning up there.

Also you have to consider that adults need to be DBS checked, trained in safeguarding etc. What about kids with special needs or who need personal care etc? Kids that have allergies or medical issues? Are you just going to leave them with random untrained adults and cross your fingers nothing bad happens?

I can and I would, and I have been dbs checked to volunteer at school, so as long as I wouldn't be treated like the teachers on here. Best efforts and hard work would be shouted at by unappreciating demanding parents. Then no way.

I’d rather the schools were open as normal with no distancing. The children will mingle just as much under this suggestion so I can’t see the point.