I would expect key worker to use child care so they could go to work.
I would rather another pair of hands front line.
Unless that put immediate family members at risk.
We are being told that unless we have symptoms, we go to work.

You support your family the best you can. If you can’t pay your bills on the wage they pay then you are not “key”.

You can’t do it. I appreciate you feel moral pressure. But you work to sustain yourself first, and then others. Even if you are in public service - you are not a charity.

Use the childcare - they've made the decision that only one parent needs to be a key worker precisely because of this scenario, so that you can stay in the work force.
Some people will think it's selfish if you use the childcare, some people will think it's selfish don't and stay at home, some people would think it's selfish to claim benefits because your OH stayed home and couldn't work. It's stressful enough at the moment for those on the front line, don't give this any more head space than is required to decide what's right for you.

I would say it depends on the key worker role and how likely they are to be replaced safely/ effectively.

For carers, nurses, and roles that require a level of expertise / training then YANBU to use the place (an alternative would be a govt subsidy for loss of earnings for the higher wage earner- but it's cheaper and easier to open schools).

If the key workee role is easily recruited for with minimal training e.g. store assistant, then I think the key worker should take care of the children.

The childcare should be a last resort. If the main earner isn’t a key worker then they need to stay home with the DC. If this means their employer won’t pay them they will have to use the government’s wage cover and possibly also the mortgage holiday or rely on the ban in no fault evictions.

We should be looking at this situation as everyone should be staying home as the new normal and only have specific exceptions to this.

If you can’t pay your bills on the wage they pay then you are not “key”.

Of course you are, what you are paid doesn't change your key worker status. It might make working impossible but we all need to do our bit.

I am a key worker with a vulnerable child and am vulnerable myself. I don't know if I should go to work or not. At the moment my vulnerable child is not leaving the house at all and I am only leaving to go to work.

Why can’t the main wage earner work from home? His/her company may be forced to close offices in the next week in any event.

I'm in this exact situation only dhs wage alone won't get us by completely.
I've taken all the late shifts, so I go to work when Dh gets home and the kids have someone around all day.

I'm in this situation too. I'm classed as a key worker, but I would not class my job as this in the slightest. I would actually say my DH job is more important than mine, even though he isnt classed as a key worker.
We dont have any other childcare, my elderly MIL is social distancing. If I decided to not take a school place, and my DH stayed home, we would struggle financially. At the moment, were both going to work. We have to, theres no other choice for us at the moment.
I'm obviously taking this day by day, and worse case I will pull the children out of school and stay home myself unpaid.

I am a keyworker. I'm not hugely paid and you couldn't sustain a family of 4 on just my wage. My job is still "key". Unless you fancy all the other keyworkers not being able to go to work because they have no childcare.

The government will not subsidise the wages of people staying at home to look after the children. They are doing it for people laid off by the employer.

In this scenario I would use the place.
My DH is a keyworker (works in vaccine). We have 3 children, 2 in school and 1 in nursery. He will homework as much as possible and so will I and we will keep the kids home then. But if he has to go to work and I can't take the time off (we are v busy at the moment and can't afford to go unpaid) then the kids will probably go to school/nursery.

If you can survive without your wage, then assess how important YOU think your job is.

No, school and childcare staff shouldn’t be out at risk because others don’t want their higher earner to take time off to parent.

What's more important, money or following the different strands of proper advice to keep everyone safe?

The guidance is clear: you should not send your children to school for childcare unless you have no other option and one of you is a keyworker (the exception being EHCP and vulnerable children). The poster above who said that the non keyworker should stay home and claim the government's pay relief offer is 100% correct. People who don't do this are being selfish. Teaching staff are more than happy to play this important role in providing care for families who need to fulfil essential roles in the fight against Covid-19; that does not include families who COULD provide their own childcare but choose not to so as not to lose money.

And unfortunately, if the govt won't pay wages for a non keyworker parent to stay at home for childcare purposes, that is just the way it has to be. These are difficult times for all. Why should teaching staff be put at greater than necessary risk so that you can avoid losing money? That's not the intention of the childcare offer.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear - when I said to use the government 80% scheme that was IF the employer wouldn’t otherwise be able to pay employees to be at home.

CambembertIt well said.it's not just the teachers either....
It's the other children too, who take the virus home, and pass it to their family, who take it to their workplaces etc etc etc

Ultimately the government allows families with 1 keyworker to be able to use school/nursery exactly to cover the scenario of the non keyworker not being able to provide the childcare and not being able to afford the time off and thus to avoid the keyworker taking time off. Like it or not that's what it is. Maybe instead of covering 80percent of the wages of staff laid off the government should cover a lower amount but include parents forced to take time off unpaid to look after their children. Then problem solved.

No, you are not correct. The govt has made it clear that you should not send your child to school unless you cannot keep them safe at home NOT unless you cannot afford to stay at home to look after them. Like it or not, that's what it is. Education staff are not staying in work for parents who have affordability issues to send their children in for free childcare!

They cannot be looked after safely at home because the other parent isn't in a position to take the time off and the keyworker isn't able to take the time off...and there is no alternative childcare provision.

In answer to.
Why can’t the main wage earner work from home? His/her company may be forced to close offices in the next week in any event.
My dh is an engineer at a chemical plant. V dangerous, can't take this work home.
I'm a teacher and we're all expected in on Monday

If the other parent absolutely cannot WFH then it seems reasonable to send the children to school in your circumstances, given that, from what you've said, your role would be essential to the action plan to overcome the virus asap.

The other parent needs to step up and take care of your children. Tbh this really irritates me... why should teachers put themselves at risk, should be a strictly both parents key worker.