To not understand what they expect me to do?

[bloodypublicservice]

I was called up for jury service starting in less than two weeks from now. I work Saturdays only as I otherwise do all of the childcare whilst my partner works full time. Originally I stated I was available as my MIL was going to have our daughter, however MIL has experienced a significant and unexpected health issue resulting in being hospitalised for the foreseeable. I've contacted the relevant department to have received a response stating that my request to be excused from this call for service has been refused and that I must still attend at the stated day/time. It mentions appealing but that a hearing is likely to be called, and given the start date is so soon, it's realistically not going to be resolved before starting.

WIBU to show up on my start date with my child and ask what else they expected me to do? We have no other local family and no provision for external childcare.

I do know that everyone has responsibility and jobs and kids etc (I have them
myself!) I also said that if nothing can be done then nothing can be done.

Mine was deferred until the youngest was school age, with no fuss. I did it then.

Exactly to all of this. I firmly believe that participating in jury duty is our civic responsibility, but pp proclaiming a parent of a young child can just "ask a neighbour" or magically get a spot in a nursery are just delusional. And no, the other parent can't just not work for two weeks so their partner can go to jury duty. FGS.

Years ago now I employed a nanny so I could go back to work and she was promptly called up for jury service! She explained to the judge who had no interest at all in the fact I was relying on her so I could hold down my own job! I had to pay her during her first two weeks while she did the jury service. I took some time off, my DM also stepped in for a while. The case went on six weeks! Very difficult. The system is not set up for anyone caring for small kids.

I wouldn’t turn up with your child if at all possible as it could be considered contempt of court.

People are insane here claiming OP is jury dodging.

I'm a SAHM and my husband is self employed so if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid. How are we expected to pay our bills if our household has zero income for even a fortnight, never mind if it was a long trial. Any nearby family and friends all work full time or as good as and we only know our neighbours to say hello to over the fence. My parents are the only other option and they're 100 miles away so couldn't drop him off daily and they're in their 70s so not going to be great looking after a toddler for 5 days straight every week for god knows how long.

Our son goes to part time nursery and we spent 18 months on a waiting list just to change his days, never mind arrange care from scratch or increase his days.

This is why doctors will soon not be able to give out sick notes for stress

You’ve tried to cancel the jury service and they’ve refused to allow it, so I don’t understand what else they expect you to do when you have no childcare.

The annual leave thing would have been granted in all places I've ever worked, we ask for less notice from our own staff. For jury service you can take it unpaid but I assume no one actually does that.

The other stuff is harder though.

Can you ask for postponement until DC is older?

I dread being called up for this as i have bowel issues

She's 14 months. He cannot take 2 weeks of annual leave, and certainly not at such short notice.

Waxing lyrical about civic duty doesnt really wash when the social contract has been broken

I do breastfeed, but I didn't mention that in my reasoning as obviously I was happy to work around this with MIL taking care of her. I don't think that would support my case at this point unfortunately.

This is why the system for jury selection needs to be updated. It fails to take into account work patterns and childcare. Not everyone has childcare available.

I had absolute nightmares with mine when I was called. I really wasn't able to take part and had to ask my GP to intervene who said owing to my having had a nervous breakdown previously and PTSD I wasn't an acceptable candidate. Only then did they excuse me but they were very rude over it and tried to guilt me into it.

I wonder if such things, IE having to pay for extra childcare, having to take unpaid parental leave, having to use up annual leave, impacts on the jurors decision making process.

Asked for a deferral. explain that your original childcare has fallen through due to your MiL's sudden ill health and that you can't find anyone else to take your child and your husband can't get two weeks off work at such short notice. As PP have said, the system is shambolic. Women are expected to be everywhere all at once and yet childcare is in short supply, prohibitively expensive, doesn't always provide wraparound care and is not well run.

Don’t go to your doctor. This is nothing to do with them and a waste of everyone’s time. Even if you couldn’t attend due to ill health the process is to contact the clerk of court. They may ask your GP for information but it comes from the court, not from you

However childcare arrangements are not something your GP can resolve

How can I prove a negative? We've never contacted a nursery or a childminder as we've never had reason to - she's never been looked after by anyone other than immediate family. I wouldn't be prepared, even if it were viable which I would doubt, to call up every local nursery and/or childminder and request to leave her there for 8+ hours a day for 5 days a week in less than two week's time. Not only would this be grossly unfair to expect her to adapt to with no transition period but I'd have no time to assess where I felt comfortable leaving her as, at such short notice, I'd have to take whatever was available.

They are being completely unreasonable. I would definitely just turn up with the children and say that you told them you had no childcare.

It's all the more infuriating that they are not budging when you tried your best to put arrangements in place so you could do it and they fell through.

Unless he takes unpaid time off, and without permission (effectively go AWOL), he can't. And we cannot afford for him to take two weeks off as I cannot claim pay through the courts on his behalf.

If the court has refused then it means they cannot work around you. You've been summoned and your presence will be the difference between a violent offender going to prison or walking free. It sucks, but this is genuinely a case of 'it is what it is'. Good luck.

@VolvoFan they normally call up more jurors than needed and besides if they didn’t have a jury the accused would not just be let go! So that’s not really fair.

Oh, FFS , that is a lot of projecting. You are genuinely trying to guilt the mum of a 14 month old baby by suggesting that a violent offender will walk free because she cannot do jury duty on this particular occasion. If that is the case then it would be the epic failure of the state, not OP.

Of course I do, but I'm also aware that they don't simply contact 12 people for any one court case else you'd never hear of anyone turning up after 1 day to be told they're not needed anymore. What if one of those 12 gets hit by a car - they have contingency plans for life getting in the way and unfortunately in my case, that has.

No we do not have any friends who don't work and we don't know any neighbours well enough that I'd leave my child with them for two weeks.