Coronavirus- can nanny still work?

[ChloeR81]

Hi, hope I’m not duplicating a thread but I couldn’t find one.

I have a lovely nanny who comes 2 days a week. Where do we stand regarding isolation etc? Can she refuse to come to work when we’re all well? At what point would she be able to not come to work, e.g. what level of official lockdown etc.

Want to be totally fair to her and follow the rules, but equally if I don’t have childcare I can’t work and earn money to pay her. Thanks, it’s so difficult to navigate

Hi, nanny here! I work for multiple families and at the moment we are all systems go. I've asked them all to respect the cough/ fever rule as will I.

I'd love to know more though about whether we could work in a lockdown scenario. So will hope for further guidance here!

I work for one family full time and at the moment I'm working as normal and will continue to unless I get sick.
One of my employers is a hospital doctor, so I would hope that I would still be able to travel to work in a lockdown to allow her to work. I haven't looked into it fully, but I thought I had read that in other lockdown situations, people were allowed to travel directly to a place of work, might be wrong though?

If you are all well and your nanny is well, then I cannot see why they don't continue to work. Especially if you are working in an essential service at this time.
Your nanny will be restricted on what they can do... they can travel from home to you ideally as directly as possible in their own car or by bike or walk.
Toddler groups, pre-schools, all that sort of thing has now or shortly will be cancelled (end of Friday).
Taking children out to a playground... not sure that's going to be allowed - anyone know?
What about taking children for a walk in the woods?

Playing in the garden is probably ok but spread could occur between adjacent gardens.

If we get police/military enforcing a travel restriction - don't think we have that yet like they do in France - then I guess we will need some sort of documentation to say that nanny is providing a vital care service and is travelling directly between their own and place of work.

My employers have isolated as one of the family has a temperature. So I’m at home for 14 days.
I hope they want ,me back after 14 days. Both working from home. But I have no idea how secure their jobs are in the current climate.
However I have been there 5 years so guess they would have to make me redundant.

It is such a worrying time and a juggling act. I always find managing holiday working for so many families is tricky but in this current time I am so grateful for a few families because I think a few may make me redundant so at least I will get paid from the others!
I hope we can still work in a lockdown. I need income.

Hi everyone, thanks so much for the replies, so helpful.

So it seems that current understanding is that unless either we’re isolating or she is due to symptoms we should expect her to continue working as normal. If an official, full lockdown we would follow the rules for ‘travelling to your place of work’ and if travelling to work is allowed I would (again) expect her to continue to come in.

I’m a single parent and work in a key service (getting food into our grocery stores!) so really need to keep working If possible.

If any further guidance etc comes out would really appreciate people posting it here in case I miss it!

Ok I have been asked to go into work after the end of next week. As my family have been isolating because one of their children has a high temp and a cough. We have an arrangement that my children come with me until school, then they are in different childcare. But obviously they will need to be with me, I work 4 full days. so my question is, do you think it is safe to take them with me because of social distancing? My baby has had multiple infections and I’m worried that if he did get the dreaded virus it would affect him more than the usual healthy child!

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Government has issued some guidance about keeping educational settings open. How this will affect nannies is uncertain. If all adults in the household are Keyworkers then I would say that if nanny is fit to work then they should so the Keyworkers can go to work.

Another document from Government about school closures which includes a link to a list of Critical Workers.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

nannynick I thought it didn't count for nannies?

What does not count?

Some nannies may not going to be Critical Workers in my view as the parents for whom they provide childcare may not be critical workers. Some though may be providing childcare for Critical Workers so surely they will still be needed to work.

As usual the guidance is unclear...
"Education and childcare
This includes childcare, support and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach."
Nannies provide childcare, so are they included under the Education & Childcare section of the Critical Workers list?

Consider my situation... I nanny for a parents who are both in the military who are "critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic." So I am working for Critical Workers who work very long shifts, so surely I am critical to them going to work.

Sorry I'm getting confused here.

Are you saying that nannies should only be working at the moment if they are working for key workers?

I have heard that it is childminders to close but nannies can carry on as normal.

I was under the impression we can continue to work @nannynick and have been. I live extremely close to my families and have been walking there (1 min walk) and staying in with the kids then straight home.

Are you saying that nannies should only be working at the moment if they are working for key workers?

Yes, that is how I would interpret things, especially now following this afternoons press conference. All other employed nannies (so those whose employers have a PAYE scheme) should be paid as per usual, getting 80% of their salary up to maximum of £2500. The exact detail of how that will work is not yet available but the Chancellor said it would be very soon available.

www.pacey.org.uk/working-in-childcare/spotlight-on/coronavirus/closing-settings-coronavirus/

Thanks nannynick. I don't know what to think or do now then? This says nannies can still work?

Presumably PACEY wrote that before 5pm today.
It's a constantly changing situation.

I think you need to decide with your employer if they really need you to work given that one or both parents may not be working.

I mostly work for key workers. But there is one family where both still need to work (at home) and I live a 1 minute walk away. That is what I am mostly wondering about.

Thanks for your help and input. I may wait for clearer advice and see if PACEY update then.

I don't see why they wouldn't continue to work? The government have only said people should work from home if they are able, and if you're not in isolation just social distancing why would the nanny not go to work?

Thanks for posting OP I had a similar thread but no one replied.

My interpretation is that my nanny will continue to work whilst none of us have symptoms.

Nanny-that guidance is for if I can’t afford to keep my nanny anymore but want to retain her. I need my nanny currently. Nannies are not caught under the childcare setting if in sole care arrangements

Agree, @cloudchaos. I will be continuing to work. I get in my car and drive to their house and then drive home afterwards. I don't need to go on the tube or bus etc to do so.

www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-further-measures-on-social-distancing
"Everyone to stay at home unless they need to get essential supplies such as food and medicines."
Why should that not apply to nannies as well, unless they are enabling parents who are Critical Workers to go to work?

I think it will be up to the individual nanny and employer to come an agreement but Government does not want people travelling very far.
"Only traveling if absolutely necessary - while public transport won’t stop, this should only be used for essential travel – for example by key workers to travel to and from work."

Consider it this way...

If children went to a nursery instead of having a nanny, would they be going on Monday? If not, because the parents are not Critical Workers, then should the nanny be working? I think not but there is no clear guidance on that.

"Work from home, where possible. Your employer should support you to do this. Please refer to employer guidancee_ for more information"

That's the guidance.

Nurseries are not open as they are mass gatherings, and children are super spreaders. I know plenty of businesses which are still operating with workers going into work if their job can't operate from home. Even in Italy people can still go to a place of work and return. Shops are still open - they need workers, people are at work if they can't work from home.