My son has covid- do I have to work?

[grace1991]

Hi just some advice please! My 18m old tested positive for covid after the childminders household had a case. He therefore cannot go to the childminder as she has closed.

I have to work tomorrow and my husband also does- what are we supposed to do?? An 18m old can't self isolate alone. Am I expected to isolate too and not work? Won't I get in trouble for it as it's not me whose tested positive ?
Thankyou ! Xx

Parental leave or holiday -although they might expect you to share it with DH.
www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

What would you normally do if you had a childcare failure if covid wasn't a thing? Most workplaces should have special leave policy or similar?
Otherwise take leave.
Working parents have always had to deal with ill kids or childcare failures, its not just covid.
However your workplace might have a policy in place for this particular situation too.

You don't need to isolate, but obviously one of you will need to take the day off. You can ask for a day parental leave.

Same situation as if your child was ill with any other illness! Parental leave or holiday unfortunately. He obviously couldn’t go to the childminder even if she was open as he has covid. Me and DH either split it or take turns when the kids are sick

Eh? It’s not about isolating but about someone looking after a baby?!

Who exactly will you be in trouble with for having to stay home with a baby with covid?

@SpottyBrolly but surely he has to isolate now till his lateral flows are negative. We have work every day !? There should be a bit more guidance on what to do when babies get it.

@WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe it's obviously about looking after our baby. But he will now have to isolate for ten days depending on the lateral flow tests.

Yes, you and your husband will have to take leave.
What would you do if he was ill?

[quote grace1991]@SpottyBrolly but surely he has to isolate now till his lateral flows are negative. We have work every day !? There should be a bit more guidance on what to do when babies get it.[/quote]
There is...it's the same if anyone else gets it.

Baby has to isolate until has 2 consecutive negative tests. Both you and DH need to do LFs every day before you can leave the house. You'll have to either
A) take time off work
B) work from home where possible
C) use annual leave
D) split the parental leave with your DH
E) you work as normal and DH stays with child and/or works from home

[quote grace1991]@SpottyBrolly but surely he has to isolate now till his lateral flows are negative. We have work every day !? There should be a bit more guidance on what to do when babies get it.[/quote]
You take time off to look after him

The negative tests have to be at least day 5 and 6

Assuming you and your husband are both vaccinated you don’t need to isolate, and it’s same if your baby was sick with any other illness. You wouldn’t send your sick child to the childminder, so annual leave or unpaid if you have no more leave left.

The same thing you would do if he were ill for 5-10 days. Parental leave, annual leave, shared between you.

Just because you have a baby doesn't mean the rules are different for you. Baby can only really be looked after by either you or DH or someone in your household.

I have a 5 year old who is positive atm so I'm doing part working days from home so I only work sporadically throughout the day and once he's asleep/when DH is home.

As others have said, the same thing you would do if your child was ill with anything else. You take time off to look after them.

If a baby is ill then they’re going to need to be with a parent whether or not they have covid.

The problem is the rest of isolation period if he gets better before it ends and that no one except a parent will be able to look after him in that time. It’s just something you have to suck up in line with normal policy unfortunately.

There’s only so much guidance the government can provide when it comes to babies, because individual childcare providers have to be allowed to choose their own covid policies depending on their circumstances.

@grace1991
it’s obviously about looking after our baby. But he will now have to isolate for ten days depending on the lateral flow tests
Yes and either you or your DH will have to take time off work to look after him, just like you’d have to do with any other illness. Have you never considered that your child might be unwell at some point and not able to go to childcare?

You do what every other working parent does when their kid is sick - take time off to look after them. Either annual leave or unpaid leave, if you're lucky your employer might offer paid parental leave but they don't have to.

Split it between you and dh who take time off. We look at diaries and see who had the most important stuff on when and work round that.

You have a long time of this ahead of you so should make provisions now of what you will do when they catch chicken pox, hand foot and mouth, impetigo, flu, sickness bugs....all things they can't attend childcare with.

There’s no guidance, because there doesn’t need to be any. He’s positive, your his parents, you care for him. I’m not sure what you think guidance would do?

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all your comments and advice. Don't appreciate being made to look and feel silly though. Mums net is supposed to be kind and caring but it seems there's a lot of mothers out there that eye roll and tut when another mother asks a "silly" question. What a shame. X

Check with Test and Trace when they ring. The NHS Covid app mentions a possible £500 payment for parents who cannot go to work because they have to look after children who are isolating.

Are you both fully vaccinated?

You do the same as you would if he had d&v, chickenpox etc, annual leave, family/personal leave/ unpaid leave. If it's the latter you may be eligible for test & trace payments

What would you do if he had chicken pox or a vomiting bug? You can't send them in with those either. You'd look after him and one of you would need to take a day's holiday or a day's parental leave. Chicken pox can be two weeks out. So this isn't even as bad if he doesn't have many symptoms

I'm sure there are lots of other conditions to satisfy but it's surely worth checking out if unpaid leave means you are losing money. Good luck, hope he is well soon