Back to office no childcare

[Bakersdelight]

I’ve just received an email from my boss to say I’m unfurloughrd from next Tuesday 26 May to work back in the office. I have a 2 year old and a son in year 2. My husband works full time. We have no childcare as nothing is open. I don’t know what to do.

Furlough is when businesses experience an economic downturn. Tbe staff retention scheme offered to businesses was to protect from redundancy. From Juky, businesses still experiencing closures will have to contribute.

Businesses simply cannot extend furlough because of childcare.

I sympathise, OP, but your employer wouldn't be able to extend. Your best hope is WFH.

I suspect now the reality of the lockdown hits, the bill comes in from the treasury, we will be seeing lots more of difficult situations.

BakedCam

There is furlough available specifically for childcare.

If businesses refuse to access this on behalf of employees, the govt needs to take it out of their hands and provide support directly in a domestic purposes benefit.

Quite a few businesses are refusing to access furlough anyway, many simply furlouging at stat min or making redundant immediately.

The govt will likely need to resort to direct cash provision soon or the homeless and food bank usage figures will skyrocket.

From an employers point of view if they furloughed everyone who had children then then would there be enough people in to actually maintain the business? If they furlough 1 for child care then they'd have to furlough the rest too. The fact they have said no is purely down to the fact they need you in work to maintain the business otherwise there might not be a job to come back to if the business goes down the pan because a percentage of the workforce isn't working.
Your employer has to be as flexible regards child care as in different shifts/days or reduced hours as long as the change in still fits in with the needs of the business. It's not your employers concern what child care provision you have.

I think you need to be quite explicit about the situation to your employer. Wfh obviously is not ideal but the best solution and I think they are wrong to insist that you come in if you can actually physically do it.
If you are worried about your job I would be looking into getting a family member to look after them even though that is “Against the rules”.
It might not be soon.

A short term option is unpaid parental leave too, that could tide you over for a week or two. It might be worth asking your school if they’d take the year 2 child too even if they technically don’t have to.

@Moondust001 in the holidays there are holiday camps and my youngest is in nursery.

I will ask my employer if I can take annual leave but I know he can refuse it. You need to give 21 days notice for parental leave.

I’m also phoning around childminders but haven’t found one yet with any availability for next week.

Isn't the advice to still work from home if you can anyway? Surely your employer should be sticking to that, since it is possible for their staff to work from home. People are only supposed to be going back if there's I no other way to work from home.

Isn't the advice to still work from home if you can anyway? Surely your employer should be sticking to that

it is just government guidance - nothing legally binding. if you read in here and other threads, you will see that many employers don't follow this guidance but request staff to come back to the office even though not much has changed re schools and nurseries.

OP have you actually explained to your employer that there is no childcare and what does he expect you to do? Childminders is a theoretical possibility but those that are opening will be prioritising current customers I would have thought.

Is your husband wfh?

Pics,

You're quite right, there is furlough for employees due to caring responsibilities. I agree in principle that it should go ahead given the school closures but I can see pushback from employers on this now.

Agree with you on direct cash provision.

OP, my apologies, hope you get somewhere with this.

Have you approached the school to see if your son can go in? If either of your are keyworker then it's possible that they would take him despite not being in the correct year. Some schools are planning for an increase in their childcare numbers on top of the students who the government want to be back in.

Your youngest can go to nursery so that reduces the issue somewhat. Also; consider your DH taking some time off/parents leave rather than childcare falling solely to you.

Bakersdelight, I know you are probably asking but ask the childminders if they know of anyone who has availability and/or if they have a local childminding group/fb page they can contact and put your requirements on their group fb page.

Put your childcare details/needs on childcare.co.uk. Again apologies if you have already done this.

I am a childminder and have availability. Unfortunately I am in Scotland so know I won't be able to help you. Good luck with finding childcare.

Not that there is anything unfortunate about being in Scotland.

Thank you all for your feedback. I’m still trying to negotiate with my employer and find childcare.

Good luck to all of you in similar positions.

Could you take annual leave? Can DH take annual leave? Have you tried to find a child minder? If you do not have any friends or family who can help out you are left with 3 options many parents will face. Employers can choose to furlough, they do not have to if work is available.

I’m really concerned about the looming six weeks holiday
Are holiday clubs going to run? I’ve no
Idea. Really need to be booking the kids in now

What happens if the kids are on half days at school either now or September ?- I ( and lots of others ) can’t just leave work to fetch/take them In the middle of the day
Will breakfast clubs and after school clubs run? Who knows!

There’s going to be lots of parents losing their jobs in the next 6 months

As it's illegal to be fired due to parental status and there is furlough available for childcare purposes

Well yes, but she wouldn’t be fired because she was a parent, she’d be fired because she was unable to come and do her job. You don’t get special dispensation not to do your job because you’re a parent.

This was a given all along. I lost count of the amount of ludicrous self serving threads with people screaming for schools to stay closed, and how many times I posted that employers would open and expect employees Back in to do their jobs. And that many people would loose their jobs because of it, and a large amount of them women and single parents who needed the money.

And here we are. I’d bet good money that some of the folks saying oh dear that’s outrageous, why would they possibly need you back at work, what horrible bosses you have, are the exact same people who shouted for schools to stay closed and helped put you in this predicament..

Bluntness the OP has a child in year 2. For anyone with a child not in reception, year one or year six, whether schools are open or remain closed is irrelevant.

And here we are. I’d bet good money that some of the folks saying oh dear that’s outrageous, why would they possibly need you back at work, what horrible bosses you have, are the exact same people who shouted for schools to stay closed and helped put you in this predicament..

You'll be relieved to know I, the quoted poster, robustly argued that schools need to be opened both for mental wellbeing of the children and for the financial survival of the family kids need a roof and food too.

For exactly this reason. Precisely what is now happening - and I'm appalled to see it coming to pass.

But schools AND childcare settings are allowed to open from 1/6/20. Children who cannot go to school, are still allowed to childminders, have nannies, au pairs etc.

But schools AND childcare settings are allowed to open from 1/6/20. Children who cannot go to school, are still allowed to childminders, have nannies, au pairs etc

Okay, but if you normally send your child to school and then use after school clubs as wrap around, then you won't have an established relationship with a childminder already - you'll have to find one from scratch and good luck with that! In my area, even before the pandemic, there was a good few months' wait to get a childminder. Nannies are only for the minted and au pairs come from other countries! I don't know if you've noticed but there's a travel lockdown right now. Also, not everyone has a spare bedroom.

I love how some posters on MN think it's possible to pull childcare out of thin air at a moment's notice. "Just get a nanny." LOL.

As I said above, I am a childminder. In my large circle of Cm colleagues there are many with spaces due to children not returning at all, or not yet. My point is it’s worth trying but so many people are negative and just want to shout ‘it won’t work!’ without even trying.

I love how some posters on MN think it's possible to pull childcare out of thin air at a moment's notice. "Just get a nanny." LOL.

You could always get a lodger in your spare room if you need to raise some extra cash (e.g. for the nanny)

As I said above, I am a childminder. In my large circle of Cm colleagues there are many with spaces due to children not returning at all, or not yet. My point is it’s worth trying but so many people are negative and just want to shout ‘it won’t work!’ without even trying

I have been trying to find a childminder this week. There are none available within a 30 minute drive from where I live.