can I get sickpay to cover childcare if I am an at-home mum?

[tartanchatterbox]

I was just told I am going to need an operation to reattach my thumb. As a mother of four kids aging 1-7 years this is an impossible situation - I need help with childcare.
Does anyone know if the gov't will provide injury allowance so I can get an au pair? I have no family or friends that can help, and have been told that it could take up to 6 months to heal.

omg where is your thumb now?

I don't know - have you asked the GP/hospital?

Do you have a partner?

You might have more luck with somewhere like homestart or a charity.

Hi - no I haven't lost my thumb - but the tendons have come undone inside it!! What a laugh you gave me - made me feel so much better. Things could be drastically worse couldn't thye?

I do have a partner, but we are pretty-much self-employed and things are ropey at the moment and we didn't earn much last year. Which is why it worries me.

aaaah yes, tis true. Your thumb is still there albeit, hanging by a thread .

I really don't know how it all works. Could you find a student (good time for it) who wants a little bit of pocket money to help out at bath time/bed time?

I don't know why there shouldn't be some money for help when us mum's are sick....or injured.

I wish I could sue DS4 for snapping thumb when trying to put him into the carseat! it is a work-related injury after all...

I thought about an aupair. We had one when my son was born 6 months ago. She worked 25 hours a week and we paid her fifty, but that girl could eat and eat and eat! Cost us a fortune in food.
Not to mention £200 a month - which I could take out of my child benefit at that point.
I would consider an au pair or student - but it's the nappy changing during the day that I'm worried about, baths and bed in the evening (hubby not home til 7pm).

give Homestart a call and see what they say (although I think they just do drop in visits)

maybe ask CAB about any access to emergency help?

must have been a serious bolt out of the carseat to do that to your thumb!

whats the CAB?
I'm in homestart already. I moved out of the catchment area and they are only offering me groups to go to now. No volunteers in my area and it's a differeent council - BUMMER!

CAB = citizen advice bureau

if you google them, it should come up with your local office

One scary thing is that they may have to take a tendon out of my foot to put into my thhumb - then what the h...am I going to do. Foot and hand bandaged up and no way can I use crutches or even push a buggy or drive the car - panic panic panic!

eww it's all very complicated this detatched thumb lark isn't it

poor you

My sister has a regular 'homestarter' who comes weekly to help her with her twins. She's gutted as apparently if she'd had triplets the council would have given her a nanny or someone to help her full time.
Give your local council a ring and see what they offer. You may be surprised. Good luck!(thumbs up!)

thanks Pistacio. I say all the jobseekers stuff on the internet and thought - how can I get that when I can
A/ affored childcare to work
b/ unable to work anyway!
I will phone the Jobcentre and find out about it.
The op is not until January! (NHS waiting lists) but I'm coping really well with a dodgy hand and have learnt to adapt the way I pick up the kid and drive etc. Thats why the operation and recovery: plastercast etc will be the worst and I know I'll need help.