Nursery closure

[eyesbiggerthanstomach]

I have posted on this before but honestly I can't cope if nurseries shut.

I'm a single parent and dad only has weekly supervised contact.

I lost my job last time because I simply couldn't work with a toddler. I negotiated a settlement as they clearly discriminated against me on the basis of sex.

I have luckily found another local job.

If nurseries shut I will lose this one. I really can't cope.

Im a solicitor and borderline key worker but not quite. I'm tempted to try that.

Or my toddler and I will be homeless. Doesn't that make him vulnerable? Or the fact my mental health has taken a massive hit and my antidepressants which went up in dosage last time aren't doing anything. I can't sleep with anxiety.

No family nearby.

What would you do? Try your luck with the key worker argument or just give in and become unemployed. This stop start with nurseries is ruining my career.

I know lots of other people are in my situation but my toddler hurt himself last time twice while I was on calls while he was downstairs alone. He also has speech delay which isn't helped by 8 hour screen time which is what he had in the first lockdown as it's the only thing that keeps him quiet and safe.

I have no second income from a DH or partner. If I lose this job it's a case of selling up as I can't afford my mortgage and moving in with my mum to a town 2 hours away.

Ugh I really don't know whether to say I'm a key worker when I borderline am or speak to the local authority because I am really on the edge.

I would absolutely try to get a key worker place. Good luck.

Absolutely say you’re a key worker, I cannot begin to imagine how stressed you must be

If they shut talk to the nursery & explain. We don’t fit quite neatly into the key worker definitions either but after I explained what we did & why it mattered in this context they were very helpful. Also explain how much you’re struggling & concerns about your sons welfare.

You could have access to a key worker place, depending on what type of solicitor you are. The full list is on the link, but if you are involved in criminal law then you are classed as key.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Thanks I do family law. I do the odd domestic abuse hearing. I just don't have any lined up yet as I am due to start my job very shortly.

@SpottyBrolly @edwinbear @Buzztothemoon

Thank you that's helpful. I think I was looking for reassurance I'm not doing the wrong thing morally and using up a space unnecessarily. I will try to speak with the nursery to see what they say.

I'm so sorry. I do feel your pain though for very different reasons. I'm 23 weeks pregnant and I am already exhausted working full time and that's with full time childcare. Luckily I am stable at work but as almost half my team have recently quit there's no way of getting furloughed. I have a very clingy 18 month old who doesn't sleep well, so difficult to do evenings or early mornings as she goes down at 8pm and is up at 5am regularly. Her dad is in almost back to back meetings and we have no local family. I know why it has to happen, but I feel just such dispair and sadness for my LG. It's going to be a rubbish few months of instability and then a new baby coming into the home. Heartbreaking.

Don't worry about what's morally right when there's a risk of losing your job and home. Do and say whatever you need to, good luck

@eyesbiggerthanstomach I run a nursery and hunk I have a parent in a similar job to you, we would definitely allow her child to attend under critical worker status. You obv need to check with your own nursery but I would like to think yours would be the same

You are definitely not OP. Fingers crossed they stay open for you though.

Nurseries staying open

@eyesbiggerthanstomach nurseries are open 👍👍👍

Sorry op your either a key worker or your not, there’s not a ‘borderline key worker’. There’s a defined list of key worker jobs, if you’re not on the list you’re not one. That said you should talk to the nursery and explain the situation. You may find they give you a place anyway as you’ll struggle otherwise. Alternatively if you’re a single parent can you form a support bubble and you them as childcare help?

You’re OK OP! I’m so pleased for you

They are open I could cry with happiness 😉

@Ohbabybab @edwinbear @Lifeispassingby

Ah thank you so much! When he said that I felt such relief!!

Hurrah, for nurseries staying open!

Just lie! You need to eat and pay the rent. You are clearly supporting and representing domestic violence victims and are therefore a critical worker. Crack on !

I would say you are key worker as you contribute to the function of the law, if police/social workers are key workers, then family law comes in to this and is presumably needed for cases to go forward.

A lot of the criteria is quite woolly, people making luxury food products for example, count as KW, Small animal vets and vet nurses, unless covering acute emergencies, strictly speaking don’t. So a vet or vet nurse dealing with some emergency and some less acute work is kind of a “borderline” key worker as only part of their workload falls in to the criteria.

However, our school/nursery understood that this was a critical job that couldn’t be done from home, so allowed us to send our children last time (dh also a kw outside the home).

For what it's worth, I'm a corporate lawyer (absolutely not key worker) but I understood probate and family lawyers to be key workers. Perhaps I've misunderstood that - I'm on maternity so not getting much feedback from work. Sorry - probably a useless comment.

Pleased for you that nurseries are open!

I would interpret “those essential to the running of the justice system” to include family law - if my ExDH doesn’t return my child from a contact visit, or if I am getting divorced and DH empties the joint account and changes the locks, damn right you lot are essential. And that’s without the domestic violence/child abuse end of things.

I think even probate is covered by this part:

“those responsible for the management of the deceased“

Though they might just mean funeral directors