# Can a childminder travel to your home to care for your kids while you wfh?



## SPC100 (30 Mar 2020)

Some people have nannys / live out au pairs / paid childminders who visit their home to mind / feed / wash / educate kids.

Obviously it increases the risk of spread so should be avoided if possible.

Is there an official stance on this?


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## Purple (30 Mar 2020)

I would think the answer is an emphatic no.


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## noproblem (30 Mar 2020)

I've been looking and cannot see any instruction on this. I'm thinking someone will say it's self explanatory but it's not. For what it's worth I know a lot of families who are doing it, they've no choice.


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## SPC100 (30 Mar 2020)

Exception listed on official site

"for *vital family reasons* including *caring for children*, elderly or vulnerable people but excluding social family visits"


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## SPC100 (30 Mar 2020)

I guess the question is, is it vital for your family.


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## odyssey06 (30 Mar 2020)

SPC100 said:


> Exception listed on official site
> "for *vital family reasons* including *caring for children*, elderly or vulnerable people but excluding social family visits"



Hmm, I would interpret that to mean only if you are a family member of same... not if you are providing it as service.

IF you are providing it as a service, childminding is not listed as an exception:




__





						View the list of essential services at Level 5
					

Essential services for Level 5.




					www.gov.ie


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## Purple (30 Mar 2020)

It's a judgement call.
I have 3 kids at home looking after themselves while I'm at work.
The youngest would normally go to a minder but I consider that to be an unacceptable risk so wouldn't dream of sending her out or letting someone from another household in.


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## noproblem (30 Mar 2020)

odyssey06 said:


> Hmm, I would interpret that to mean only if you are a family member of same... not if you are providing it as service.
> 
> IF you are providing it as a service, childminding is not listed as an exception:
> 
> ...



Here is what the goverment website says. "There are exceptions for some workers in key businesses but for the majority of people, the rule is simple: Stay at home".  They then list the exceptions, one of which is "including caring for children". I believe that is clearly saying that people can get a child minder "for vital family reasons including caring for children". That is from the goverment website gov.ie. That's pretty clear to me.


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## odyssey06 (30 Mar 2020)

noproblem said:


> Here is what the goverment website says. "There are exceptions for some workers in key businesses but for the majority of people, the rule is simple: Stay at home".  They then list the exceptions, one of which is "including caring for children". I believe that is clearly saying that people can get a child minder "for vital family reasons including caring for children". That is from the goverment website gov.ie. That's pretty clear to me.



It's not clearly saying it, maybe it is an oversight that this wasn't listed but childminding is not listed as an essential business service.

It is an exceptional reason *for a family member* / individual -> not an exceptional reason for someone providing a paid service.
The childminder providing a business service falls under the category "to travel to and from work where the work is considered an essential service" and childminding is not listed there.


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## llgon (30 Mar 2020)

At the press conference this afternoon Leo has clarified that childminders working in the home are deemed to be essential workers.


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## SPC100 (30 Mar 2020)

Is that only for homes (children) of essential workers though?

E.g. some people can wfh and are not essential workers.

Edited for clarity


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## noproblem (30 Mar 2020)

SPC100 said:


> Is that only for homes of essential workers though?
> [/QUOTE
> 
> Anyone working at the moment is an essential worker and i'd imagine they're the people who would need the service, unless there are ill parents who need the service too.


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## llgon (30 Mar 2020)

SPC100 said:


> Is that only for homes (children) of essential workers though?



That wasn't specified by the Taoiseach but he did speak about childminders in the home of essential workers. He said that there was some risk with it but that essential workers were needed in their roles.

In the spirit of the measures that are in place at the moment I wouldn't expect the situation you outline to be included. However it probably isn't specified anywhere.


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## Bangforbuck (31 Mar 2020)

My wife is a director of nursing and I am working with a pharma company that have been deemed critical. Both of us have to keep going. We had to look for someone who can carry out childminding for us. So we got girl who's just around the corner and who's whole family have been mostly staying home with weeks now. Surely she is deemed essential, otherwise we can't work. It must be the same for many families around the country. If childminding was completely stopped there would be a significant number of workers who would suddenly have to start minding kids instead of carrying out essential work. 
I seriously doubt anyone is going to have a problem with childminding in these situations. The measures are all about reducing the risk as much as possible but not completely eradicating the risk.


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## llgon (31 Mar 2020)

Bangforbuck said:


> Surely she is deemed essential, otherwise we can't work



Yes, she is. This is the point the Taoiseach made yesterday.


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## noproblem (31 Mar 2020)

It might not be what some want to hear and others will certainly not like it, but there's thousands and thousands of grandparents minding their grandchildren. In most cases there's no choice and yes I understand well the dangers or whatever you want to call it that's involved.


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## SPC100 (1 Apr 2020)

Official list of essential activies says
"

non-centre based childcare for those providing essential services
"

I'm fairly sure that was not in the original list and is an addition - but eitherway this confirms that you should only have childminders travelling to your home if you are an essential worker.


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## SPC100 (1 Apr 2020)

Here is a link to the most recent version snapshot (Mar 30th) that was captured by the way back when machine, and this bullet was not in the original publication. So they have updated the list to make this clearer.


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## noproblem (1 Apr 2020)

SPC100 said:


> Official list of essential activies says
> "
> 
> non-centre based childcare for those providing essential services
> ...




I've said it before, but anyone who's working right now in Ireland Is an essential worker. Lets not differentiate.


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## RedOnion (1 Apr 2020)

noproblem said:


> anyone who's working right now in Ireland Is an essential worker


I'd qualify that with "anyone working outside their home".
I'm working from home. That doesn't make me essential.
The original question was in relation having a childminder come to house while working from home.


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## SPC100 (1 Apr 2020)

Just because you are working doesn't make you essential.

Just because you are working from home doesn't mean you are not essential.

I read guidance as clearly saying if you are one of the defined essential workers then your childminder is an essential worker


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## RedOnion (1 Apr 2020)

SPC100 said:


> Just because you are working from home doesn't mean you are not essential.


Ah, very true. Just because I'm not essential doesn't make everyone else non-essential!


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## Sunny (1 Apr 2020)

RedOnion said:


> Ah, very true. Just because I'm not essential doesn't make everyone else non-essential!



Don't worry. I didn't think I was essential until I found out that financial services was considered essential. (Even though what I can do can in no way be considered essential). Now I just go for long walks, cycles, jogs and drives. I just flash my financial services work ID so no problem...…(Joke by the way).


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