One off Nanny?

[Equimum]

There is an event I really need to go to for some training I am doing, but DH is away the week it's on. It involves leaving home while the kids are at school and not getting home until around 11pm. Kids go to school about 4 miles away, rural area. No childminders collect from their school and the only afterschool provision is afterschool club, which runs until 5.

I was telling my therapist about this dilemma and she said that I was perhaps being defeatist (something we have been working on), and that there is childcare available to cover these types of occasion. My dilemma is that I'm really unsure what it would be.

I basically need someone to collect my children from school, drive them home, make them dinner and look after them until I get home.

There aren't any other families I can ask - I'm not hugely close to other parents at the school and sleepovers aren't really a thing in their friendship groups.

All I can think of is hiring a one-off nanny, but I wouldn't be comfortable leaving the boys with a stranger, and suspect it would cost a fortune.

Does anyone have any idea what childcare options may be available in this situation please, as I am worried maybe I am just not looking for solutions.

TIA

A babysitting agency?

But the children wouldnt meet them before and you would have to get special clearance with the school for a one off pick up.

Special clearance from the school??

No you just inform them of the person who will be collecting that day. Sometimes a password system or similar is set up.

No special clearance from the school required!

Chill ur boots - @KateyCuckoo

Special clearance can mean A person who will only collect this one time.
By using A ‘password’ or photo or whatever the school requests!

If you have nothing helpful to add, scroll on

You're implying the school have to give permission for this which isn't true!

I was not ‘implying’ anything !

You presumed thats what i meant!!! @KateyCuckoo

I know how schools work - Thank you for your helpful input tho 👍🙃

Yes you could try a babysitter, and yes I expect it would be costly. You could arrange to meet the babysitter in advance.

Did the boys use a private nursery before starting school - you could call them and see if there is any member of staff able to pick them up at 5pm and babysit until 11pm, for a whole week. I know quite a lot of nurseries whose staff offer babysittng service as they get paid so badly they boost their income (usually cash in hand and no agency fee plus a chance your kids know them and/or can meet them first).

What happens if one of the kids is sick or injured during the day at school or too sick to go to school one day?

What do you do for evening care for occasions you and DH go out? Who you use for evening babysitting may be able to do a one off school collection.

It can be costly. 3pm-11pm I would typically charge £100.

You say there aren't any other families you could ask - but what if you offered to pay? There may well be someone who you couldn't ask as a favour but a paying arrangement would work for both of you. Is there a class WhatsApp group for you to ask if anyone is interested?

Ask the school plenty of teaching assistants will actually do baby sitting etc.
also search back up care nanny's I know the company bright horizons have them. Or crèche care? They have people who are employed to pick up children from school and take them to an after school club or a crèche if that helps?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Special clearance. Brilliant

Special clearance 😂

A password may be set up. Or just tell the teacher joe bloggs is picking them up

Best bet is to call a local nanny agency who would have vetted the nannies and ask if they have anyone who is free to work the hours you want

Cost wise area depending £12-15ph

Or if on a local Fb page ask if any babysitters /nannies about that people can reconmend

Use an agency. Sitters is reputable. But contact them sooner rather than later as the driving element is going to rule a lot of people out.

And it's expensive but you wouldn't want just anyone looking after your children.

Bubble childcare app x

Ive used agencies before for one off nannies, all highly experienced,no issues (have a child with ASD so im quite cautious). Costs about £20 ph but worth it as a one off/if it makes ££ sense?

If you're SE based ill DM you

Don't get the joke about special clearance - seems a perfectly clear generic expression for school approval by whatever means are relevant, to me.

Agree asking school /childcare settings whether you've been a client or not seem like sensible options.

You could hire a babysitter. We are in London and there are loads of ways to do that - you can (we do) ask to meet babysitters in advance and check references.

If you have a class WhatsApp group or similar someone may already use a babysitter and be able to recommend someone.

But the more obvious solution would be to ask for a favour from your children's friends parents

Thanks everyone.

We normally use Sitters for an evening out, but the issue here is with collecting from school. They won't allow that. I spoke to the agency and they said we need to hand the children over at the place where they will be cared for. That had been my first thought, but is clearly a no go.

We don't have nursery aged children and a I know that the TAs aren't allowed to school with children in their care due to safeguarding (unless a friend of their own child and their own child is with them, and neither of ours are friends with any TAs kids).

Mrburnshound could you please DM the details - we're SE too! TIA.

I get what was meant about special clearance. Our school normally asks the children to tell them who unknown adults collecting are. We use a password system.

I think your therapist is being a bit unrealistic. They probably have family childcare so it's never been an issue going somewhere and needing their children looked after - if they have any. In the real world if you don't have local family or friends and agency nannies won't pick up from school then I don't think there's much you can do other than miss your event. I suppose if your children each have a best friend I might approach the friends' parents and ask if they would be willing to take the children for a one off sleepover. But if your children aren't used to sleepovers that might not be a good idea anyway. I know my 6 year old still wakes most nights and comes into my bed so I've told her no sleepovers until she stays in her own bed every night.

This reminds me of several years ago when I was out of work and attending the job centre. They showed me a job advert, which I could see was miles away and as I relied on buses I knew it would probably take about two hours each way to get there and back. I said something like 'well it would depend if I could get there, i'll have to check the bus times.' The job centre advisor retorted 'well if you're going to be negative I can't help you!' I wasn't being negative, I was being realistic!

Could a neighbour help out? If it has to be a responsible teen neighbour perhaps a school parent could pick them up from school and drop them home?

Do you have the number of any of the people you have used through Sitters? They might be willing to do it "off the books"

We used to use phd students, worked really well. Definitely worth asking about

I've skimmed so apologies if I've missed anything but if I was in this position, I'd email after-school club and ask if one of the staff there could do it as a self employed job/homer on this one occasion? I appreciate this may cause an issue with them taking your kids in their car however they'll be disclosed/vetted/whatever it is called in England.

Or a local teen? My 16yo DD does this (very, very occasionally) for her 6yo sibling and could do it for others (if she could be bothered!).

Then just use a normal nanny agency

Im south east as well - what part are you ?

I may be able to reconmend some agencies

Bubble childcare allow pick ups from school. I have seen many jobs on there from parents requesting that.