Childcare
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Ask the expert: when childcare doesn't cover my hours
Your employer cannot just give a blanket no to your request: they have to give a good business reason why she cannot have more flexible hours. Whilst a prison is a 24-hour working environment, so are other work places such as hospitals, and many NHS trusts are now able to offer parents more flexibility in their working pattern. Whilst employers may be concerned that they'll be opening the floodgates if they provide flexibility to one member of staff, if employers create a more family friendly working environment, they retain good staff, staff morale is higher and staff absence is reduced.
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Ask the expert: after school clubs
The plan for extended schools is laid out in Extended schools: access to opportunities and services for all which was published in 2005.
Under the plan, primary schools are required to provide access to activities and childcare services from 8.00am-6.00pm for 48 weeks per year. Secondary schools are required to provide access to activities and services for children from 8.00am-6.00pm during the term and more flexibly during holidays.
This does not have to be formal childcare; it may include activities (such as sports or drama) or homework clubs. Schools do not have to provide the services...
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Ask the expert: how to hire a nanny
The most important thing to remember is that nannies cannot be self employed, so it is your responsibility to make sure her salary is declared in full to HMRC and tax and National Insurance contributions are deducted from her salary. As a nanny employer you have the same responsibilities as a commercial employer and the law requires you to: - Set up and operate a PAYE (Pay As You Earn) scheme on your nanny's behalf - Keep tax records on her behalf - Provide your nanny with regular payslips - Provide her with an employment contract - Pay regular...
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Ask the expert: our child speaks no English. What childcare is okay for her?
You will be amazed at how able your daughter is to communicate when she needs to. At two and a half her language skills are developing at an enourmous rate and if she is immersed in the language she will quickly pick it up. I assume that there are no language problems with her speaking her native language?
I would suggest finding a childminder with a principle carer who your daughter can bond with, and with other children of a similar age so that she can learn the language through interaction with them as well as with the childminder....
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Ask an expert: nurseries and flexible hours
There are two initiatives that may help to ensure more flexible provision of childcare:
- Sufficiency Duty:
Each local authority is now required to ensure that there is enough childcare for local families who need it to work or study. This includes addressing community needs for childcare that ‘caters for irregular patterns of usage across the day, the week and the year’.
- Free early years education:
Children who are 3 and 4-years-old qualify for 2.5 hours per day of free nursery education. By 2010, the Government has committed to extending this...
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Ask the expert: is moving more traumatic for certain children?
Moving schools is often accompanied by moving home, or other life changes which can be incredibly unsettling for a child. If it’s just moving school and you’re staying in the same area, you can try some simple things to make the transition easier on your daughter. Keep good links with old friends. Make sure that she sees them as often as she can. This will give her people to talk to and reduce any feelings of loss. She can write a letter to her old teacher telling him/her about her new school. This will help her to acknowledge some...
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Ask the expert: what to ask a childminder
It is always a good idea to think about and compile a list of questions for a childminder before you visit them. The sorts of things you want to find out from a childminder, about the care that they will provide for your child, will depend very much on your child’s and your own needs, so they could be different for each parent. However, here are some of the types of things you might want to think about when drawing up a list of questions.
- Are you registered and can I see your registration certificate?
- How...
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Ask the expert: holiday childcare
Holiday childcare for working parents is a nightmare. You are not alone in this. There is very little practical help for parents during the holidays and although there are some excellent holiday schemes, it’s all a bit hit and miss, and you can’t always judge in advance whether your child will enjoy a particular scheme, so it can be quite stressful. Whilst your daughter may be picking up on your own anxiety about holiday schemes, if you do not feel happy with her being there, then let’s look at other options.
You could try swapping childcare with a friend....
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Ask the expert: my daughter complains of frequent tummy aches
No expert these days will tell you to ignore a child’s pain for fear of litigation if it turned out to be grumbling appendicitis. However, it is perfectly possible that the stomach ache is as a result of not wanting to go to school and this could be triggered by a variety of reasons (problems with friends/teacher, separation anxiety or maybe your child simply enjoys being at home).
First, I want to say that no one knows your child as well as you do and if you think it’s a proper stomach ache, then take her to the doctor and...
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Ask the expert: after-school care
Your local Children’s Information Service (CIS) has details of all the registered childcare providers in your area. You can contact the CIS and ask for a list of registered providers to be sent out to you. You will then need to contact any appropriate childminders on the list, to see of they are able to pick your child up from school. You can contact your local CIS by calling ChildcareLink on 0800 234 6346. You could also check with other parents, who might also have their children picked up from the same school as your children’s. They may also be...
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Ask the expert: finding childcare in rural places
Childcare is an important factor in many parents’ lives, especially if you rely on it while you are working or studying. Before you decide to move to a new area, it is important for you to consider all the facilities and services that are available to you and to include decent reliable childcare needs as part of that decision.
There is a local Children’s Information Service (CIS) based in every local authority area, which can provide you with the details of all registered childcare that is available locally, including private, voluntary or state run, and for children of...
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Ask the expert: how do long working hours affect children?
If you are confident that your children are being well cared for, are securely attached to the person who looks after them whilst you’re at work, and feel confident that this is the best situation for you and your family’s health and happiness, then I would say that the long term effects are unlikely to be damaging. However, if you are stressed and feeling guilty, and your children are not thriving then the long term effects can be quite significant. In the worst case scenario, this situation could predispose the children to mental health issues in later life. So whilst...
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When should you bring up flexible working in a new job?Quick links
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