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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is it time we all helped to provide voluntary child care

252 replies

Maryjane3227 · 14/06/2020 19:45

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?

OP posts:
HavelockVetinari · 14/06/2020 22:23

I'd never leave DS with a randomer, he'd hate it!

ZombieFan · 14/06/2020 22:26

Isn't this a great opportunity for a lot for people to open a new childminding business? Fast track the training, full time, and get people qualified in a week. The demand would allow them to charge a lot more.

Parker231 · 14/06/2020 22:28

All the parents I know want their DC’s back in full time school. Only seems to be Government and the unions standing in the way.

MsAwesomeDragon · 14/06/2020 22:31

Well we've already been thinking about this amongst my friends. We wouldn't necessarily want to have a lot of children in a church hall. But we would happily organise a small informal group to share childcare between the kids in our DC's class. If we can get a group of 5 families with each family taking responsibility for one day a fortnight (assuming the kids are at school half the time) then we would. In dds class there are quite a lot of families with one parent working part time. I'm a teacher, so will need to be at school full time, but dh can work more flexibly, so he could have one day a fortnight of being responsible for 5 or 6 kids, and make up the time on the other 9 working days. That would rely on families being able to support each other though, and would be easier in some areas than others.

Pikachubaby · 14/06/2020 22:32

Would a random army if volunteers pitching in for 2 hrs be really a good idea for the kids?!

I don’t think so

It would be chaos, nobody would know their quirks, needs or even their names Confused

Harpingon · 14/06/2020 22:36

Took me months to re-train as a childminder when my daughter became disabled and I had no choice.....id rather chew my right arm off now...

DontStandSoClose · 14/06/2020 22:41

Nice idea but in reality I don’t think many mums and dads would jump at the opportunity, even if it was completely free. Being dbs checked doesn’t make you qualified to look after children besides. I can’t think of many other parts of society other than retired people who would have the time to volunteer anyway, everyone else is either working or dealing with their own children. Plus I’m not entirely sure what use 2 hours of childcare is anyway if you need to work 8 hours a day... so 4 people to cover a day, 4 people coming into close contact with your child each day. They might as well just go to nursery/school and deal with the risk there.

tenlittlecygnets · 14/06/2020 22:43

No, not for me. I'm working full time from home and parenting my dc. Plus, who's to say I'd be the best person to teach other dc?!

squiglet111 · 14/06/2020 22:45

I was thinking about this the other day, but then came to the conclusion that that's basically substituting schools... And schools aren't going back because of risk of covid...so putting all the kids in another place still has risks anyway. So wouldn't work.

No one will volunteer and risk catching from children. Grandparents certainly wouldn't, especially if they can't see their own grand kids.

toinfinityandlockdown · 14/06/2020 23:08

I would happily but it would require the government making and administering a scheme e.g paying for and administering the DBS checks, paying for the insurance, providing policies. I can’t see it happening.

RedToothBrush · 14/06/2020 23:08

The law is STILL that you can't have more than 6 meeting OUTSIDE. Not inside. So that means you can't legally do this in your own home as a private arrangement.

And if you can only have a max of 6 then you need to be volunteering more than 2 hours of your time. So thats a bit of a problem.

As such this proves something of a problem in terms of where you are going to have this childcare and where you are going to have this childcare.

If you term yourself as childcare to get around that problem of the rules of private gathering, you then have to go down the more formal route adhere to childcare regulations and bubbles etc, with no more than 15 children. As well childcare qualifications, DBS etc.

An example: if you volunteer for an organisation like the Scouts, its basic safeguarding to never be alone in sole change of a group of children - both for their safety and your safety for a variety of reasons.

Again you are going to need people to volunteer for more than 2 hours to cover a full working week.

You also have to consider what the kids are going to DO for all those hours. That involves a degree of planning and resources. Thats extra time OUTSIDE those used for childcare. And that involves money.

If you decide to ignore all this you run the risk of falling foul of the law or other complications.

This also gives you a bit of a head ache in terms of where you have hold this childcare. As it stands many community halls will be closed - because of the law - and because if they do ignore that, they won't have building insurance and you won't have public liability insurance (if you hire a hall as an individual you are usually covered by the owners public liability insurance - which is one reason they won't hire out to individuals at the moment). Its therefore too much of a risk for them to hire out. Until there is a change in the regulations in how many can met and what is allowed to be open, this is a none starter for an option.

And again, who is going to pay for premises even if you can find them? All premises have overheads so even a minimal charitable rate is going to cost something.

That leaves you with office space. And this is where there possibly could be an option I guess. Employers could in theory use their space for on site childcare within the rules. And in terms of having enough people to run it, it could be in businesses interests to free up staff to enable this. However theres limits on the amount of space available and many places will have more staff wanting to take advantage of this than there is space. You also have the issue of training and DBS checks and how long this takes to set up.

You are also going to have to have someone set this all up, devising rotors, communication etc etc. Thats outside your childcare hours too.

In my opinion the idea doesn't fall down because people won't volunteer but of the number of hours you'd have to volunteer and because of the other practical problems and the limitations of the law around childcare and covid-19.

By the time you've managed all this, we could be into summer. The rules may have all change and summer groups allowed to run as normal anyway.

Nice idea. One away with the fairies that hasn't really thought about in a real world practical sort of way. Its pretty clear the OP has never done any kind of volunteering with children and the organisation it requires to run. Its the sort of suggestion that winds me up as someone who does understand this - it shows the sheer lack of understanding of all the hard work - seen and more to the point unseen - that goes into running schools, childcare and childrens activities either on a professional or voluntary level. People think its easy and that people just turn up for their shift and then fuck off home and don't think about it again until they are next there.

As I say, one to firmly file under 'LaLa Land'.

bananaskinsnomnom · 15/06/2020 06:16

Fast track the training so people can start their own child care businesses and let people qualify within a week?!? To whoever suggested that above, that’s incredibly demeaning to all child care professionals out there. I’ll take that as yet another kick to my profession.

Having spent a decade in nurseries, the fastest I ever knew anyone to qualify was someone who managed to do the Level 3 in 3 and a half months - because she worked flat out every evening and weekend and through her lunch breaks. That didn’t even include safeguarding training, First Aid etc.

Do people honestly think that the child care training or training for an educational role is simply learning a few games and methods of entertainment? Sure that could be done in a week.

Or you could understand that the training involves studying child development from birth, speech development, behaviour management, cognitive development, educational theory, learning styles, understanding government guidance and documentation, safeguarding, recognising additional needs, working with additional needs, diagnosis protocol, child safety, practical placements, being assessed on placement through planned activities/lessons and observations.....to name but a few things.

Even many areas of the voluntary sector have more training available than a weeks worth! Let alone qualifying.

Please don’t make child care a “fast track” course. Some children are looked after at nursery more than they are at home. Do you really want “one week” courses being good enough? Is that who you would pick?

katienana · 15/06/2020 06:59

I would volunteer to help out at school if it would get my kids back there quicker. I'd be happy to help out with cleaning, I've heard that teachers are doing that themselves.

Love51 · 15/06/2020 07:08

@2bazookas babysitting circles usually involve one parent (the mum!) leaving their family home for an evening and entering the home of the kids being cared for. It isn't allowed at the moment. So if they 'exist' they are on furlough!

RedToothBrush · 15/06/2020 08:54

I would volunteer to help out at school if it would get my kids back there quicker. I'd be happy to help out with cleaning, I've heard that teachers are doing that themselves.

Given that bubbles are about limiting the number of human contacts there are, why do you think that teachers are doing it themselves and they haven't asked parents?

The bubbles mean schools don't have space for all the children as they don't have enough classrooms and teachers. So no matter how many parents clean, until the guidance changes it won't get kids back quicker. It's not clean items they are worried about as primary method of transmission, its the number of human contacts.

Indeed the whole point is the limits on numbers are about getting children back quicker...

...so in what way exactly do you think that you volunteering to clean will get the kids back quicker?

I'm really curious as to what you think the point of the school guidance on bubbles is supposed to be and why you think schools haven't asked parents to help clean if it magically would 'help kids get back quicker'?

The idea you have thought of this as an amazing solution that schools are too stupid to have thought of, is truly staggering. It shows a huge amount of contempt and lack of holding any regard for schools and head teachers.

Brefugee · 15/06/2020 09:02

No thanks. I've done all the childcare, job-juggling and the rest that i ever needed to do.

I pay tax so that other people get schools and kindergartens and top-ups for low wages that barely cover childcare. That's me doing my part.

Brefugee · 15/06/2020 09:11

sorry, went too early:

So maybe there needs to be more government subsidised childcare

It never fails to amaze me (as another smug parent of adult children) how many people arrive at this idea but only when they need it.

When I worked in a large organisation i was the first with children by quite a long way and was continually reminded that i chose to have them etc etc. Fast foward 10 years and it's all "oh i need more time off but i want my full-time salary Brefugee can pick up the slack she doesn't need childcare blah blah blah"

And then BAM! they get to my position and... don't want to pay extra tax to fund this because they managed

PP got it right: there is no way anyone should do a job for free that is so necessary and important that it should be paid (properly) for.

Mawbags · 15/06/2020 09:17

The only way to do this is organically,
Through friendship groups
People you know
Small bubbles

And yes, it will become the job of The Women as usual

Noconceptofnormal · 15/06/2020 09:28

Or they could, just y'know open schools (your suggestion would lead to as much intermingling of kids and adults as just opening schools).

They just need to reopen schools ffs.

Hopingtobeamum · 15/06/2020 09:28

Nice thought but not practical IMO. Until the schools/nursery's etc reopen fully or the government changes it's advice surely the only options are friends/family/appeal to your employers better nature (good luck with that one btw).
No way would I be wanting to look after other people's kids, aside from my niece. Other people's kids are lovely for a short space of time but that's it.
If you have kids it's your responsibility to ensure they are cared for.

zingally · 15/06/2020 09:38

Short answer, no.

Caring for other people's kids, for free, is not my problem. Got my own stuff to sort out, never mind throwing "other people's kids" into the mix.

Longer answer:
This would be absolute chaos to organise. Imagine the logistics involved in organising it, if it were going to be in any way a formal-ish arrangement. How do you monitor who volunteers? Would you want your kids going off to un-veted strangers?

Sorry OP, but this is total, implausible nonsense.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 15/06/2020 09:44

Alternatively...

... it is already happening here, at least in the planning stage.

Local schools have already asked for anyone with relevant DBS etc to contact them if they would be interested. So they have list of local goodwill and are checking certificates and insurances.

WI and a few of the U3A (ex school teachers) are taking on the administration under the aegis of the HT of the secondary school.

Whether it will work or not remains to be seen, but they are giving it a whirl! I'm currently seeing if it is viable for us (food bank/community charity) to offer lunch for all!

CuriousaboutSamphire · 15/06/2020 09:45

They just need to reopen schools ffs. As has been asked many times.... run by whom? How? Where?

InkieNecro · 15/06/2020 09:45

If it were organised (with a qualified person to oversee) and my children were older then I would. 2 hours of my time for more childcare would be great if my children were happy there.

However I have a 2 and a 3 year old and I wouldn't leave them with strangers at that age.

unchienandalusia · 15/06/2020 09:46

I volunteered yesterday in a letter to our headmistress.