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Original poster

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

113 replies

Sleepdeprived42long · 11/05/2020 10:59

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.

OP posts:
Lumene · 11/05/2020 19:32

Doing work other than childcare and properly looking after a young child at the same time is incompatible.

I can see how working at a different time to looking after the child could work - different shifts effectively. And currently short-term benign neglect and masses of screen time is working for millions as a stop gap because they have to.

Meeting a young child’s learning and development and physical needs properly in the medium to long term while working at the same time just isn’t feasible unless it’s part of your job - eg childminder.

Cherrybakewelll · 11/05/2020 19:37

@MabelMoo23 are you sure they aren’t open in your area?
The play scheme I use has been open during Easter hols & will be opening towards back end of May. It’s just for the working parents at the minute who are in essential roles though.

TabbyMumz · 11/05/2020 19:42

Boris has confirmed if you dont have childcare (as you are not a keyworker) but can return to work, he wouldnt expect you to return to work and he would expect employers to think the same.

RedToothBrush · 11/05/2020 19:45

Boris has confirmed if you dont have childcare (as you are not a keyworker) but can return to work, he wouldnt expect you to return to work and he would expect employers to think the same.

Which is completely meaningless in practice to a lot of people as there is no legally biding support to this.

All Johnson has done us ask employers to be reasonable.

But not everyone has a reasonable employer. And that will still be a problem for many who have no legal right to force their employer to help them

Alternatively they might be asked to take unpaid leave, which financially might be crippling and in practice useless 'support'.

Bluntness100 · 11/05/2020 19:52

Boris has confirmed if you dont have childcare (as you are not a keyworker) but can return to work, he wouldnt expect you to return to work and he would expect employers to think the same

.im listening to it now. He said he sees it as a barrier to return to work and expects employers to agree. That’s all he said. That’s it.

Of course they would agree. What he didn’t say was he would provide any financial support or job guarantees to those people.

If your employer agrees it’s a barrier for you to come back to work, which clearly all will, because you can’t be going in with your three and five year old. Then the employer can do as they please, fire you ( unavailable to work), put you on unpaid leave, furlough you, whatever, but it’s the employers choice.

The government has provided no indication at all that they will provide any support to those who can’t work.

All they have said is you can’t work and your employer will agree. End of.

MRex · 11/05/2020 21:30

It's actually clear enough about childminders in the full government report, page 26 says:
"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."
So, they can reopen.

darceybusselllovesbrussells · 11/05/2020 21:46

The government has to give more concrete guidelines for employers!!!! I was appalled at Boris's response to the childcare question. How the hell could he dare to be so vague? AngryAngry

AndMyHairWillShineLikeTheSea · 11/05/2020 22:15

Some misconceptions about the public sector on here.
I'm public sector wfh, I have to work all of my hours or I have to take annual leave or unpaid parental leave. I have a 3yo at home.
There is no 100% pay to stay at home and not work for me, or 80% as I can't be furloughed.

AndMyHairWillShineLikeTheSea · 11/05/2020 22:16

Oh and I'm in Scotland so god knows when nursery will open. Luckily I don't think my whole workplace will go back until schools and nurseries are open. If it does I'm screwed.

Concerned7777 · 11/05/2020 22:33

His guidelines to employers were simply to accept that some employees wouldn't be able to return for child care issues. It didn't mean employers need to pay them if unable to work due to childcare, employers need to be flexible were it still fits in with the needs of the business or grant unpaid leave. Given the amount of workers with young children it's not feasible for companies to pay people unable to work due to childcare especially during a global pandemic when many businesses in someway or another may be struggling.
Those on lower incomes may find UC a help in the short term for many others sadly its another side effect of this horrendous virus Sad

BumpkinSpiceBatty · 11/05/2020 23:10

The guidance seems to confuse the role of childminders as being babysitters who work in the parents home. The DFE and PACEY have now confirmed that childminders will be expected to open June 1st in line with other early years provision.
Absolutely disgusted that once again the government have no idea of the role that childminders play.

Notcontent · 11/05/2020 23:31

It’s also a bit disingenuous to assume that all children above age 11 can just be left for days on end to fend for themselves. Yes, most will not set the house on fire and will be perfectly safe. But really most older kids need an adult to be around for at least some of the time.

Concerned7777 · 12/05/2020 05:22

@BumpkinSpiceBatty this virus isn't going anywhere any time soon so how do you expect everyone to stay home for? Yes numbers are dropping but we a far from it being eradicated. If you're a child minder and you dont want to continue your services then that's absolutely your choice to do that but I suspect your clients will then find alternative arrangements. How long was you expecting child minders /Nannys/ Nurseries to stay closed for? This role Is pivotal in helping the economy re start

Concerned7777 · 12/05/2020 05:22

*how long

NotGenerationAlpha · 12/05/2020 05:29

It depends on the job and I don’t know what proportion of the population can’t wfh and needs childcare. DH and I can both work from home and we have a 5yo. We are coping at the moment. I would like to see her back at school but DH is keen to keep her at home after 1/6. We surely can’t be alone as both DH and my entire company are working remotely currently. I haven’t heard anything about returning to office. And DH work has already said they will continue to do remote only for the foreseeable future.

Tanith · 12/05/2020 08:10

"It's actually clear enough about childminders in the full government report, page 26 says:
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.
So, they can reopen."

No, they can't.

That full Government report was hastily written and full of mistakes. The short paragraph quoted contains two.
Childminders do work from home.
Early Years and paid childcare are not separate entities.

That mistake has now been rectified. Childminders are confirmed as being under the same restrictions as nurseries: they cannot reopen until the DfE says they can. Last night, the DfE clarified that childminders and nurseries must stay shut to all except key workers until 1st June at the earliest.

Rainbow12e · 12/05/2020 08:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

saylor · 12/05/2020 08:21

FFS @Rainbow12e because we all have grandparents that live near us to call upon?

My parents live in a different country Hmm

Rainbow12e · 12/05/2020 08:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Disneylover4321 · 12/05/2020 08:26

This is why people are having to use family members or friends for childcare.

TriangleBingoBongo · 12/05/2020 08:38

My parents are round the corner but they won’t offer childcare..

ElectricTonight · 12/05/2020 08:54

Well the obvious answer would be that you can't.

TabbyMumz · 12/05/2020 09:54

I thought it was a bit mad saying childminders could work from home, because they cannot offer self distancing fir babies and toddlers and that would mean mixing several households.

Rainbow12e · 12/05/2020 11:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

copycopypaste · 12/05/2020 11:39

I think bj was pretty clear and did say that if you don't have childcare and you can go into work then you need to be discussing this with your employer.

Most of the advice needs common sense around it, most of us don't need treating like children and shouldn't need everything spelling out to us in great detail in black and white. We shouldn't need a manual with every eventuality in it, use common sense, speak to your boss.

If course you can't go to work if schools aren't open and you don't have childcare or a partner staying at home. What would you do in normal circumstance, just talk to people