Confused-How can people go into work when no childcare?

[Sleepdeprived42long]

I’m confused about something-how are people with young children able to go into work following Boris’s info yesterday? What’s happening to their kids when there’s no school, childcare provision and they’re not allowed to go to other families? Obviously talking about non-keyworkers.

I work in Early Years ( two year olds), and I’m really keen to get back to work. Hope we hear something soon.

I’m panicking about this too. My partner is already working. I’m being furloughed. Warehouse for large shoe company. So I’m panicking in case I need to go back.

Did people miss the part of the sentence "if possible" ...

No Kathy who is 33 you don't have to go to work in a factory and leave your two year old on the floor eating bread for 8 hours. Your employer will be aware of your childcare provision or lack of and continue to furlough you, because it is not possible for you to return to work.

Yes Joanne who is 28 single with no need for childcare, you can return to work, to work in a office that has met all requirements for increased hand hygiene and social distance measures in place. It is possible for you to return to work.

🤦🏻‍♀️

So employers are allowed to use furlough just because people have caring responsibilities? I thought it was in case of there being no work to do (because of coronavirus).

If the taxpayer is literally just paying for people to look after their own children - whilst equivalent childless people have to actually work to earn their money - how is that fair? And very open to abuse by people who aren't genuinely in a childcare crisis.

The cost of this pandemic is insane and in some ways unnecessary. And that's going to impact all of us for a really long time..

I've not got an answer to your question though OP, and it's a valid one!

The plan is out

www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy

It says guidance is amended to clarify that paid childcare eg nannies and childminders can take place subject to being able to meet public health principles

It looks (from a bit in the BBC article about face coverings!) that nurseries will reopen on 1st June too (R number for the virus allowing).

SeeWhoRustsFirst furlough for childcare reasons has always been a provision available to employers. And it is a way of easing the furlough cost, to get all those without care responsibility back earning.

With schools and childcare setting all currently closed, there isn't much parents can do. I understand it seems unfair but the neglect of children can not happen.

Slowly as more and more schools and childcare provisions open up this cost of the furlough scheme will ease.

You have to take steady steps, not leaps back to normality, and some will benefit and others will not. It's unfair, but that's life.

Any business that wants to survive the pandemic will not be furloughing staff based on their childcare responsibilities! Mark who runs the tea trolley will be furloughed, whilst Jane who brings in business to keep everyone else employed will absolutely not be furloughed, despite the fact she has two kids under 7! Can people not see that?

I think what will happen, as commonly happens in a crisis, is that women bear the brunt of it.

In reality I suspect there will be a big imbalance in those who lose their jobs, with women with children being hit hardest. And the govt are well aware of it.

In the financial crisis the brunt both in terms of job loss and other financial penalty was borne by women.

Me and DH are both working from home. We have a 1 year old.

I totally agree, it's mums who will bear the brunt of childcare-related job losses.

But there is a large societal benefit from vulnerable children, or the children of critical workers, attending school: local authorities and schools should therefore urge more children who would
benefit from attending in person to do so.

The Government is also amending its guidance to clarify that paid childcare, for example nannies and childminders, can take place subject to being able to meet the public health principles at Annex A, because these are roles where working from home is not possible. This should enable more working parents to return to work.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884171/FINAL_6.6637_CO_HMG_C19_Recovery_FINAL_110520_v2_WEB__1_.pdf

Looking at the bbc now they are saying nannies and childminders can return to work and nurseries are being included from the 1st of June.
And all children will be back in primary school a month before the summer hols.
So by middle of June for our school all children should be back.

@SeperatedSwans I didn't know that, thanks.

Still, I wasn't suggesting that the kids shouldn't be looked after, just that the person doesn't need to be paid for it. Well, not 80%, anyway. People who used to pay childcare costs and are now not paying even a nursery retainer must be raking it in now! (Meanwhile, furloughed nursery workers are also being paid 80%, so the taxpayer is paying out twice).

I appreciate that's not everyone. I've probably just got a chip on my shoulder since I know a few people that applies to (and they're right moaners). Anyway the sooner we can all go back to some kind of normal then the better for everyone. There's probably no better workable system, even though it is unfair, so you're right.

@SeperatedSwans

Sorry, but I’ll say it again. Public sector do not offer furlough.

I'm a nanny.
We have been allowed to work since beginning of lockdown eg if you cant work from home, you can go to work but observe social distancing.
If you have family members under 70.who are not vulnerable why cant they come to your house to care for your children, voluntary work , so to speak. You would be mixing two households in the same way.
The virus surely doesnt know if you are being paid to look after children or just doing it for love
Controversial I know , but some family cant afford to looss their jobs.

@starrynight19 nannies have always been able to work.

@TriangleBingoBongo

So they'll be let off on full pay then. Or have to continue working from home as they currently are if it's possible, which it seems to be for the ones of them that I happen to know.

Either way, my heart bleeds for them...?! Not sure what your point is. Public sector always gets perfectly generous conditions, and yes, I have worked in it.

Anyone forced back to work where a child would be pretty much neglected, that employer is going to get a hammering from HR and a tribunal. Business will furlough staff with no childcare provision, honestly they will. They might not like it, but they will.

Arguments will be had in households over wich person returns for two parent households, but these people should do the maths. Which scenario gives the household more money.

Women are at risk of being the losers here. Like always, I can't disagree with this point. Single mothers have been massively disadvantaged by this pandemic and they will continue to be so long after it has gone.

Triangle public sector workers are massively more protected. As they are now they will continue to WFH or receive full pay if childcare is a issue.

No it doesn't say 'they will all be back for a month before schools break up'

It says they hope all children will be back at school for a month before the holidays.

This is the problem. No one knows the answer and people are clamouring for an answer to the unknown.. so when someone announces a plan, a hope, an aspiration... it is then taken as a FACT of what WILL happen.

Why can't people understand that this is not govt being economical with the truth, it's that you Cannot know the future in a pandemic..

IF everyone sticks to the rules
IF the R doesn't rise over 1
IF the death rate continues to fall ... then this is 'the plan'

However as we have all seen on a gazillion threads, some people are very very thick and just can't work it out. The new rules will mean idiots will get together. They won't socially distance and the virus will get a grip for a second attack.

Unfortunately in a pandemic government should treat everyone as though they are as witless as the stupidest out there.

There should be enhanced lock down for another fortnight with the threat of heavy fines , to get the R below 0.5..
Then perhaps we can't start reopening things and getting back to normal.

The only thing this does is to spread it to the England beauty spots. Good luck Devon, Cornwall , Norfolk Broads , New Forest and Lake District. Your poor hospitals are going to be overwhelmed in about 4 weeks.

Agree OP, I think this is a big problem.

Most people string childcare together over the summer holidays with a mixture of child swaps, grandparents and holiday clubs, but those options aren't available. This is a problem everywhere, not just in the UK. Even in places where schools are reopening, the summer holidays are only weeks away.

No idea. It's a question that needs answering though. I'm presuming the only real option is to break lockdown

Another reason why lockdown needs to be further relaxed. Its ridiculous atm. And the cost of furlough is astronomical

@SeperatedSwans

I am public sector.

That is not true. If I can’t make my hours, I have to use annual leave, if I run out of annual leave I’ll have to buy more.

@SeeWhoRustsFirst

I don’t know where you worked but that is not my experience as above. I have even asked to go unpaid and been refused.

"Looking at the bbc now they are saying nannies and childminders can return to work"

We're trying to get clarification about childminders because the Government doesn't seem to have the first clue about who we are or what we do.

Many childminders are currently looking after keyworker children whose nurseries closed - and will still be closed until 1st June. What do we do with those children? Mind everyone together? Kick out the keyworker kids and force those nurseries to take them, at a loss?
And the school aged children that I'm already getting parents calling me about - do we take them, too?

They so clearly haven't thought about any of this!