Making nanny redundant - on maternity leave?

[ChatBFP]

My nanny is pregnant. I really like her, but as my kids are getting older it is unlikely that I will replace her like for like when she goes on maternity leave. I suspect we will each take some more annual/unpaid leave, swap with friends, grandparents will help, we will use holiday clubs etc.

At what point do I tell her this? It would be a genuine redundancy situation, so my instinct would be to make her redundant earlier in maternity (I'd obvs still be liable for maternity pay an that would be fine) rather than waiting until the end so that she would have certainty about getting another job.

Same issue if I get a nanny to help who does fewer hours - I'd assume that I would tell her early on that I am giving her replacement more limited role and that it would be likely that the more limited role only would be available on her return and probably not with baby in tow due to nature of role/household?

I will ask the nanny agency and payroll agency for advice and get a solicitor if needed, but I assume that the hive mind of mumsnet should be able to give me some pointers. Thank you in advance!

Just to add - employer can claim the SMP back from the government, but not the accumulated holiday payment. So employer is ‘out of pocket’ in a way (not saying that nanny shouldn’t be paid the accumulated holiday or anything, just adding for completeness).

Then surely she has to resign? She can't just dictate she is bringing her baby to work.

Yes @roses2, but she can choose to do that at the end and keep accrued holiday, which is absolutely her right in the same way as most other workers who don't want to go back to same job would

Follow the steps on acas guide to the letter and although it feels an odd discussion to say, and document, you have considered other roles just do it and demonstrate you are following good process and then you are ok to proceed

acas redundancy when going pn mat leave