Please help me solve this childcare nightmare im about to encounter!

[girlylala0807]

Ok. Flexible working request had been rejected. As of May I will have to work on a 7 week rollong rota including weekends. It will be 3 days over 7. I have recently become a single parent and have limited support available.

So. I will have to pay for my sons nursery place full time as he will be there on different days each week. I talked to the tax credit people and I will get most of this paid for as I will only earn £7000 a year. It just seems odd they will pay for it even though they know he is not there. Hey ho.

So this leaves the weekends...it would appear there are no options available. None. So my plan was to advertise on gumtree to try and find a part time registared nanny. The would work the same rota as me on a 7 week basis. However they would have a week free every 35 days or so when my son spends the week at his dads. They would also be paid holiday and stuff.

If anyone has any possible solution. Anything at all...help me!

i would stick with appealing against flexible hrs decision

Agree you need to appeal the flexible working decision. Go through their points explaining why your flexible working will not impact quality of service (or whatever) and if you can suggest a solution that will enhance it, then even better. EG if there are periods where museum is busier then why not suggest you cover those shifts, or work the more anti-social shifts regularly, in order to improve quality of service. Then, when you have a fixed schedule (even if it is not the ideal 9-3 Mon-Wed or whatever that you might prefer) you can find the childcare you need - either CM, nursery, or au pair. If you can do at least some mix of unsocial shifts alongside nursery shifts (eg Sun, Mon, Tue) then your bosses may be more favourable toward your application.

At the end of your application you should cite that your understanding is that flexible working must be considered properly by your employer and should only be refused for genuine business reasons and both you and your union await their response, especially given that flexible working already works successfully in many public sector areas that also operate shift patterns, such as the NHS.

Some great advice thank you. Im going to look for weekend childcare. Im going to appeal but offer a compromise at the bottom. The union will look over my letter when im done. I really dont want to give up work. Im finding being a single parent hard enough. Without the support of the lovely people I work with I think id crack up!

Ha! I work in the NHS. let me tell you that where I last worked shift patterns were in force and flexibe working most certainly did not exist. "The needs of the service come first" and all that shite.....thats why I left. Another experienced nurse out the door.