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.

The latest guidance says "all early years settings" to be open from the 1st June...

The logic doesn’t really add up for me here. Childminders, schools and nurseries = lots of households mixing together = high risk surely? But if I put my kids to their grandparents then would only be my household mixing with their household=lower risk. I’m not necessarily saying we shouldn’t get schools, childminders etc back but at least apply the same logic to mixing of households?

Triangle in which case if you are being forced to work and a child is being put in a position of neglect by your employer, I would urge you to speak to your HR department and Union.

Employers have a responsibility to act in a common sense approach and one that is fair.

Sleepdeprived you can use grand parents as childcare. You were asked not to, if possible.

Many people who didn't have key worker status or did but didn't fancy a school setting use grandparents, if the grandparents were in the low risk group. My mother is in her 50's healthy with no underlying health conditions.

It was all about weighing up risk.

It was never prohibited completely, you were just asked not to if possible.

So I for one have done it, even though I have key worker status. If I have a community appointment DS goes to nans, but my brother didn't as he could work from home without the need of childcare provision from my mother.

For our particular family set up me and my mother have daily contact right up to lockdown. As a lone parent my mother is basically like the other parent and DS stays at her home one night a week non pandemic. So if families could exchange children we saw no issue with DS dropping in now and again.

It's certainly a worry for some people, and I think it shows up just how much our 'leaders' realise about the lives of normal people!!

Childcare can be hard to find for many. Lower paid jobs tend to require all different and unpredictable weekly hours. For example, I've never had a job that had even set days every week.

I think people will need to go back to allowing their Children to stay at home from a younger age, if they deem them mature enough. Doesn't help Parents with very young DC though.
As a single Parent with no help and working hours which Childcare doesn't cover ie early starts or til 7pm, my eldest stayed at home from age 11, and at age 13 looked after her 9 year old sibling some (not many) days. They are older now.
I'm not ashamed to admit this, I didn't have any other option, could not
risk being sanctioned by the job centre for leaving work, and I knew my Children and that they were sensible enough to be left sandwiches etc, not use oven, toaster, bath, never answer door, never go out, I called them every hour I was away, and they could call me. Children are all ready at different times, you know your own DC, I would never have left them if I wasn't fully confident.

Obviously if nan is 65+ and she lives miles away and you aren't in regular daily contact mixing is a higher risk.

I mean I was sat having the usual supper in my mother's house when lockdown was announced. We live in each others houses. I only don't live there because there isn't enough bedrooms, but we are basically a household. My house is only used as a b and b when no pandemic is on.

It was never prohibited completely, you were just asked not to if possible.

Yes, it has always been prohibited if the grandparents are in a different household.

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

Employers have not needed to give any reason to furloughing staff so far. However it is likely that rules on furloughing will change.

I know very few who actually use family for childcare - it's a combination of school and afterschool clubs during terms, and holiday clubs, holidays, and some extra leave in summer. And that includes into teenage years - a 10-15 year old who can let themselves in late in the afternoon, make a snack, get changed, start homework/relax watching tv etc, can be a very different prospect to that age having to mind themselves all day every day in summer.

And that latter is the current prospect.

DD still needs "stuff" to do all summer, she is incapable of just unwinding herself at home for more than about 2 days. There are constant phonecalls of "I'm bored, what can I do, what can I eat, when will you be home" and then the phonecalls of "I was so bored I came into town on the bus/train to meet you, when are you finished?". So I put her into various sports camps for most of the summer after an initial week to recover from exams and with a final week to rest and prepare for school. (She gets 11 weeks off!).

The ONLY good thing at present is that, even though she's getting summer holidays in 3 weeks, I am still WFH and potentially until December according to weekend news reports, and DH is also still WFH for a while yet. He will only go as far as the local office once things start back in the office (2km away, not into city), although I will have to go into the city at times to get a certain project done.

But we have been WFH since this started and as busy as ever (DH more so as he spends all day on the phone, and then tries to get his actual work done in the evenings). So we haven't had the relative peace to deal with DD or to unwind that many others have.

"The latest guidance says "all early years settings" to be open from the 1st June..."

That's the trouble. The guidance that has been released since yesterday is contradictory, grouping childminders with nannies. Boris Johnson has since grouped childminders with nurseries.

Essentially, we cannot open to everyone until the DfE says we can. We're not insured to do so.
We're therefore waiting for definite clarification from them as to exactly what Boris Johnson and his Government actually mean us to do.

Even 1st June is an if not a when 🙄

Not in Wales it wasn't, someone asked it at a briefing. And the Welsh First Minister said "if possible" 🤷🏻‍♀️

The document also states its looking at 'social bubbles' being ok in relation to sharing childcare or other relatives looking after children.

But this part of the document is 'a work in progress' and still being looked at by the authorities.

It doesn't exactly help people expected to return to work in the shorter term.

This is only about people with DC under 11/12, with both parents working and both unable to WFH, none of them being keyworkers.
So quite a small amount of people.

I guess in this case one of the parents would ideally be furlough, and if/when this is not possible they could take it in turn to use holiday allowance/unpaid leave.
I imagine you could also find a nanny but this maybe depends on the area.

Both my DH and I have to go into work as we can’t work from home. I am a key worker but can’t send my youngest to school as she had a letter about her asthma not the shielding one but school saying she should not be there as she had a flu jab etc. So I can’t send the eldest as she is now caring for younger DD albeit only 4 hours.
I asked my work if I could WFH or be furloughed and it was a resounding NO. So I would have to leave my job of 20 years or leave the DD’s. Yes DH could also give his job up but then we struggle to pay the bills.
So many people will be forced to choose if my eldest wasn’t the sensible child she is I would now be out of work. I am taking unpaid leave for dependants and holiday and trying to sprinkle it through the weeks.

This is only about people with DC under 11/12, with both parents working and both unable to WFH

It’s not really possible to sustainably WFH and do childcare, so it’s for those who can WFH in this category too.

For plenty of us, it is possible to wfh and have the kids.

@Peggy it depends on the age of the children, the job you need to do and how flexible you can be with your working hours on how possible it is!

Agree @Lumene totally

For plenty of us, it is possible to wfh and have the kids.

Any tips for the rest? What age kids and nature of role? May be a bit easier at 8+ and if not expected on zoom or client calls I guess.

This thread really opened my eyes on the struggles of many trying to WFH with children also learning at home.

Sorry this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3902119-is-it-just-me-or-is-this-working-from-home-with-children-completely-unsustainable?pg=1

Did I say all of us are? That was my point.

The poster i was referring was answering someone who pointed out that this about children whose parents both need to work outside the house.

The poster said WFH, isnt feasible long term with child care. But that's not the case for lots of us. Not because we are better. Because our job allows some flexibility.

There's no blanket rules here. Some people can juggle working from home AND child care.

Some of us can do it. Some of us can't. But actually yes, wfh and childcare is feasible long term.

One of my team has tbe her grad daughter as there's been personal issues at her home. She is managing to work and look after her grand daughter and do the schooling.

Shame that seems to get peoples back up.

Yes definitely different circumstances for different people, of course.

Haven’t noticed anyone with their backs up here? But certainly a lot of people on the thread above seem stressed to cracking point.

And working and taking care of an 11 yr old or younger while they learn for home is obviously not in their long-term interests.

*from

In all fairness if you are coping you aren5 going to go and comment on a thread like that, that it's all fine.

That was my point. No one can say its not feasible. It might not be for some. But for others it is. Our FD looks after his toddler and works, his wife is a nurse.

They are coping fine and ppting for that instead of sending the child to nursery when it opens.

It must be difficult for plenty of people. I just dont like blanket statements that anything either can or can't work.