to assume that parents are legally entitled to time off today?

[needabreak5]

this has been questioned by DH's employer. DS (6) class is closed today due to the strikes. We have no other means of childcare (no family and no paid childcare available). I had meetings this morning that I couldn't really miss but took this afternoon off so DH can work. DH took this morning off (used up accrued TOIL) to cover my meetings, and has been by his employer questioned why he wasn't in the office as they are too busy for time off at the minute - time off wasn't approved in advance. Time off is submitted via a timesheet and has been 'pending approval' for a week. I think regardless that it wasn't officially approved, he had a legal right to the morning off as time off for dependant with no other option. AIBU?

I think it should be considered emergency leave as well OP. It's not just for your nanny being ill or suchlike.

And your DH's employer needs to process leave requests a bit more expeditiously. I only wait a matter of hours for mine to be done!

YANBU. There are two types of leave - emergency time off for dependants

www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

and parental leave

www.gov.uk/parental-leave
You might have been eligible for parental leave, if youve been at the company over a year

Contrary to PP, you don't have to take the latter in 1 week blocks as long as the employer agrees not to.

I’d love to know where all this adhoc childcare is…

Dh parents are dead…mine not local enough and old and frail

New area so don’t really know any parents not popular enough to be on the WhatsApp group nor do I do enough drop off and pick ups to make mummy friends I hate that phrase

Sitters.com is about as much use as a chocolate tea pot in our area 🤷‍♀️

Anyway back to the AIBU - quite probably legally your DH was in the wrong, he should have chased his leave request and no assumed it was ok to take the time off, equally a week to respond to a leave request is not really on, in my contract is states 1 week notice for 1 weeks leave and 1 days notice for 1 day, however any employer could have seen this coming.

I work from home and mine are old enough to entertain themselves while I work I do have sympathy for parents trying to find childcare in events like these

There were options for today. They might not have been suitable for OP and DH, but it sounds like they didn't try.

Several enterprising businesses here saw an opportunity to make some extra/provide a valuable service and many of the kind of places that offer holiday childcare were open. Dance, gymnastics, drama and other sports clubs, as well as a business that usually does before and after school care plus holiday care.

As an employer I'd have agreed it, but I don't think there's any legal obligation, bearing in mind that it had been known well in advance. I just prefer a happy workforce and don't want to have to deal with them taking it anyway

Not in my area. I use lots of holiday and sports clubs (weekly clubs and holiday clubs) and none had an offering for today - I checked as I could have done with working this afternoon. They are just all taking bookings for half term.

If you read the criteria, neither apply here

Dependants - You cannot have time off if you knew about a situation beforehand.

Parental - Employees must give 21 days’ notice before their intended start date.

i checked megacamps, koosa, sportscool, local martial arts club, local tennis club, farm/forest camp, and local leisure centre, and school itself. They all run clubs in the holidays but none did anything for today.

I don’t understand the legalities but YANBU OP.
we would have been absolutely fucked today if it weren’t for my parents, childminders and other paid childcare don’t just take on new clients for a single day of strikes. I really feel for parents like you who are caught out in this. My work are very understanding but I’m flat out at the moment and couldn’t really afford to push clients back, my husband is a farmer and very busy, luckily we have granny to call on.

Exactly, there is very limited ad hoc childcare available. People suggesting sitters.co.uk etc is all very well but there's no way I would leave a young child with a complete stranger found on an agency website. My child's safety and well being is more important than any meetings.

My workplace offers flexible working and realises that results are more important than being seen to be in the office. The way they value us as adults who can decide when they need to prioritise family is hugely motivating and means I often put in many extra hours of work in my own time as I value the give and take.

Surely he should have chased it up when it wasn’t approved?