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Original poster

Will there be Keyworker care?

201 replies

Amonite · 15/09/2020 19:13

If a school bubble or bubbles close is there still keyworker care as there was in the summer term?
Our children went to school throughout as we both have frontline keyworker roles. We are in a local lockdown area, if the children are sent home for 2 weeks surely keyworker children are exempt and can still attend?
We have no childcare options

OP posts:
Roowig2020 · 15/09/2020 21:27

I think it may be easier to replace or increase hours for others (temporarily at least) a shop worker/ cleaner/ delivery person than a surgeon/ nurse/ social worker if they ended up having to isolate due to childcare.

Napqueen1234 · 15/09/2020 21:29

@Treesofwood

Just leave them home alone with a phone to contact you if need be.
So many great ideas. My three year old can get hey Duggee up on YouTube and my 8 month old can hold it pretty well so they’ll be fine at home with my phone for 9 hours alone. Oh wait that won’t work- when they try to call I won’t have a phone to answer! Otherwise perfect.
Frazzled2207 · 15/09/2020 21:33

of course there won't be but as pp have said all parents are in the same boat here.
I don't have a life-saving job but am self employed and only get paid if I go out to work. Which I won't be able to do if one or both of my kids is self isolating (yes am perfectly aware that I don't need to self isolate myself but who else is going to look after a 4 and 6 yo)

Nighttimefreedom · 15/09/2020 21:35

In reality what people will do is rely on friends and family for childcare, which of course they shouldn't if the children are supposed to be isolating due to bubble bursting but what choice do people have? Parental leave, shift changes and so on will only go so far.

Concerned7777 · 15/09/2020 21:43

@Juanmorebeer

What plans in place exactly do you think parents should be putting in place if they are both front line emergency workers?
What plans in place exactly do you think parents should be putting in place if they both work in any job? Confused
Treesofwood · 15/09/2020 21:45

@Jrobhatch29 Why does your DP have to stay off work if you are on maternity? Surely that makes things easier for you

Treesofwood · 15/09/2020 21:51

Napqueen1234 Covid trumps all. Your kids will just have to manage.

Jrobhatch29 · 15/09/2020 21:51

[quote Treesofwood]@Jrobhatch29 Why does your DP have to stay off work if you are on maternity? Surely that makes things easier for you[/quote]
Sorry I don't know what you mean? He's off work because someone in our house has symptoms so we all have to isolate. His work sent him home when I rang him this morning so say our son had a temperature. If my kids had to isolate because someone else at school had it then it would be easier yes but I don't have long left on maternity and I'm a teacher.

Treesofwood · 15/09/2020 22:04

@Jrobhatch29 I thought you were talking about an isolation caused by bubble closing. No choice then sadly.

Mistressiggi · 15/09/2020 22:54

If you're isolating you can't travel anyway.
I know it's hard to get your head round all the changes. I'm sure the OP has seen the error of her ways!

ohthegoats · 15/09/2020 22:56

What plans in place exactly do you think parents should be putting in place if they are both front line emergency workers?

Plans to be off work. Same as everyone else who has a job.

At the moment there isn't a 'front line' for covid. Just an ordinary 'front line' - what did they do in normal circumstances when a child needed to be off school? I guess they do that.

Pomegranatepompom · 15/09/2020 23:02

It’s going to be a huge problem, many staff went to itu in April/May (after being up skilled) and staffing was still poor - that was with key worker provision. There won’t be enough trained staff to look after ventilated patients once you factor in childcare and isolating for symptoms or proven infection.
I expect it will said the nhs is at fault rather than the total lack of preparation from the government.

yawnsvillex · 15/09/2020 23:15

@Ponchy

They are going to have to do something for the kids of NHS workers or it will come to a grinding halt this winter. The NHS can't magic up more staff.
@Ponchy and how do you think this NHS workers will get paid if the rest of us don't earn money and pay tax????
Juanmorebeer · 15/09/2020 23:20

Are people just not getting it?

My plans usually are that family members would help out! For instance one of my parents could care for dc from the second day possibly in the situation that I had to leave work to collect an ill child from school part way through day.

If they are isolating as their bubble has closed you are not allowed to do that as they are not meant to have contact with anyone at all.

Do you think employers are just going to put up with this? It's unlikely to just happen the once too. What if your kid is off for 2 weeks does the isolation then they go back in and then another in the bubble tests positive? Home again for another two weeks. In the meantime nobody can staff anywhere because rotas are literally fucked anyway and that is with full attendance.

It isn't sustainable in any way.

Pomegranatepompom · 15/09/2020 23:21

I think the emphasis needs to be on critical care staff being able to work. We’d all want someone appropriately trained looking after a relative/friend ...

Key worker is a really unhelpful term.

StatisticalSense · 15/09/2020 23:35

We're 6 months in and it's now time for people to make their own plans. If both parents are front line emergency workers that are that essential maybe they should agree to work opposite shifts so there is always one of them at home to look after isolating children. The NHS should also consider requiring part time staff to make up hours lost to self isolation to keep staffing levels up.

Hangingbasketofdoom · 15/09/2020 23:42

SS how would that be fair? You can't ask part time staff to make back hours unless you can ask full time staff the same thing - they don't need a weekend after all, do they?

Pomegranatepompom · 15/09/2020 23:44

Many staff also haven’t been able to take leave. It’s going to be a difficult time to cover- people generally feel a sense of duty to help though.

middleager · 15/09/2020 23:49

@Roowig2020

My dsis is a social worker (child protection) her dh works in nhs and second day of school their dc sent home as child tested positive in the bubble. Had their dc tested (negative) but a parent had to stay home with them for 14 days. They took a mixture of carer leave and annual leave. op I would hope if you're frontline your employer (nhs?) would have sympathy and understanding and not want to potentially passing on this to others?
Why did they get their child tested? Was their child showing symptoms?
middleager · 15/09/2020 23:52

@Juanmorebeer

Are people just not getting it?

My plans usually are that family members would help out! For instance one of my parents could care for dc from the second day possibly in the situation that I had to leave work to collect an ill child from school part way through day.

If they are isolating as their bubble has closed you are not allowed to do that as they are not meant to have contact with anyone at all.

Do you think employers are just going to put up with this? It's unlikely to just happen the once too. What if your kid is off for 2 weeks does the isolation then they go back in and then another in the bubble tests positive? Home again for another two weeks. In the meantime nobody can staff anywhere because rotas are literally fucked anyway and that is with full attendance.

It isn't sustainable in any way.

Also, in Birmingham, households are on local restrictions, there is no grandparent 'cover'or mixing of households.
RhubarbJellyFizz · 15/09/2020 23:57

Well the holiday industry will suffer in 2021 as all our annual leave will be taken up with covering school closures. Not that we went on holiday in 2020, but hoped to next year. Definitely not booking anything!

Hangingbasketofdoom · 16/09/2020 06:51

Middleager they probably got the child tested as they were worried they had a disease that could have infected others? So child stays at home, doesn't have obvious symptoms but has the virus (as we hear many people do) - if you don't test you will not know and will not isolate yourself, potentially infecting many more people.

Nellodee · 16/09/2020 07:02

There are two issues here:

One is that children isolating will mean a shortage of keyworkers.
The other is that children isolating will mean a loss of income for their parents.

However, those children need to isolate.

This is an issue for governments to sort out. Write to your MP. Demand to know what plans are to deal with your individual financial situation. Let it be known the consequences of you failing to be at work. Above all, let them know that their actions now will be remembered at the ballot box in four years time.

Testingisajoke · 16/09/2020 07:05

They said as children would be sent home as there was a risk from their bubble, they would expect us as parents to be isolating aswell so as not to bring the virus to work - isolation is paid worth valid testing confirmation/ school email and they are testing NHS staff in a portacabin on site.

More proof that those in public institutions will be protected at the expense of private. Our taxes should not be used to pay someone to isolate because their child's bubble has burst. Especially not in admin, how will the country afford this, plus it's completely against guideance.

Roowig2020 · 16/09/2020 09:53

@middleager they were told to by the school 🤷‍♀️, though it was a bit pointless because they still had to isolate.

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