Childcare Bubbles

I could be wrong but I thought bubbles could only be created where one person was a single person? And that both bubbles have to be exclusive so neither one can meet with anyone else?

I have not checked as I am not in your position but a friend who also collects her grandchildren from school ( but does not call it a bubble) under the rule of six, stopped when we were put in Tier two, and now we are in tier three, she is no longer seeing her grandchildren at all.

I think it would be rather strange for you to leave your son and his wife outside when they collect their children. Invite them in.

I live in a tier 2 area. I'm wearing a mask in shops etc., not mixing with others indoors (apart from my own "bubble") and I think that's fine.

Q1 - i don’t think the guidance covers this - but you would have to avoid it turning into a do you want a cup of tea etc - the bubble is about childcare not having the parents visit
Q2 - this is def not allowed. The bubble is for childcare purposes only not family visits. Think about other families not able have indoor visits - at least you are seeing more of your dgc

I'm in tier two and indoor visiting is not allowed. Why are people trying to justify breaking the law?

We have no chance of slowing this deadly pandemic if so many make exceptions of themselves.

Childcare bubbles exist to merely provide care - not to invite the parents in. Just hand them over at the door or risk being fined.

Online explanation:

"Can you still use childcare?

In Tier 2 and 3 there are exceptions for gathering limits for registered childcare providers or nannies.

This means you can continue to use early years and childcare settings, including childminders, after-school clubs and nannies.

You can also use people in your support bubble or people in your childcare bubble to help out.

A childcare bubble is where someone in one household provides informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. For any given childcare bubble, this must always be between the same 2 households."

So there are no particular restrictions you need to abide by apart from keeping the arrangement exclusive to your two households.

In my registered childminding setting the parents do hand the children over on the doorstep, but I'm working with several different families.

The children always wash their hands thoroughly as soon as they arrive, under close supervision, and we repeat it frequently throughout the day. My own family members do this as well.

Everything official I read says handwashing is the best first line of defence, along with masks for adults and social distancing.
We're not expected to wear masks or social distance when providing childcare at home though as it's not appropriate.
Hope this helps.

What about providing childcare in the child’s own home, with the parent WFH?

That’s a very good question Sue

SueDonim you'd be acting as a nanny, so the same advice would apply.

Both my parents have had to help with childcare, they are divorced and so it’s two households. But I work from home so I’m upstairs and they’re downstairs with the children. It’s a bloody nightmare ?

I’ve decided we’ve just got to get our heads down and do what we have to. We can’t not work so if they don’t like our situation they’re more than welcome to come and solve it themselves.

I am helping with childcare for GC two days a week. I have a four year old GD and two GS who are at school, fortunately in the same
class. Handwashing during the day is important as is the bottle of sanitiser when we take GD out. I try to keep a window ajar in the living room for airflow. Toys are sprayed with disinfectant after use and I use a fabric disinfectant spray on throws and cushions after grandchildren have left. After use the toilet area gets a quick spray too each time.

The GC are collected at the door and parents don't enter the house. It all sounds very clinical but we're just trying our best to keep one another as safe as we can. Parents use sanitiser on GC before they enter my home and also before they go home in the family car.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, V3ra!

Childcare is vitally important to allow parents to continue working to keep the country running, so as others have said, it’s exempt from the ‘no household mixing’ rule.

As you are in tier 2 visits on the days when you are not providing childcare are not permitted.

We look after our little grandson one day a week and our daughter often pops round on another day but we are in tier 1 so as we still number under 6 that is permitted.

If we move up a tier the additional visit will sadly have to stop.

If you’re in Tier Two, you can’t have anyone who’s not from your household inside your house, unless you are in a bubble with them. I might be wrong but I understood that only a single person can be in a bubble with another household, although the single person may have children. So if your adult child is married or living with someone, I don’t think you can form a bubble with them, even for childcare purposes. It seems to me to be yet another ill thought through thing, because if parents work what are they supposed to do with their children in school holidays? We look after our grandchildren three days a week in school holidays, and we look after the three year old one day every week, but we’re in Tier One, so the rule of six applies to us.
Is there such a thing as ‘childcare bubbles’? Sorry to be not much help, but I’ve never heard of them, except in Northern Ireland, where it was explicitly explained that childcare was exempt from the lockdown they’re in at the moment. Obviously, if you live in Northern Ireland childcare is allowed, but I suspect you’re not.

Jennifer
I didn’t know that childcare is exempt from the ‘no person from another household’ rule in Tiers Two and Three. I have missed this if it is the case. It doesn’t effect me as I live in a Tier One area. I’m confused, I’ve never heard of childcare bubbles. I thought I’d paid attention, but maybe I’m wrong.

Amazing how so many just take from all the rules what suits them. Every day I see Mums out with pushchairs walking side by side I absolutely no social distancing (no masks), teenagers out in large groups huddling together, followed 3 into a supermarket only yesterday,, no attempt to hand sanitize and no masks. One just walked straight in and started handling the Xmas chocolate boxes. Childminder next door has all and sundry in the house including her home hairdresser. As for childminding bubbles, one person I know lives with her DH and visits her 3 AC for childminding. This virus will take forever if it ever does die out with people just doing what suits them. Yes some say the number of deaths isn't as bad as when in the flu season but we aren't in that yet this year. Too bad if you need hospital care for flu, Covid carelessness will take priority for beds.

Every time I think I’ve got it sorted something else comes along. My 86 year old friend seems to have five bubbles. I’m not sure she has many more years or even months In her as she is very doddery and should have full time carers. She is managing by roping in all and sundry as bubbles.

I’m a single person, and am in a bubble with my daughter, her husband and their 2 small children. The parents work from home, and they see no one else but me apart from the children’s teachers at school. As far as I understand it the children can be dropped off at my house on the days that I care for them, and delivered and collected to/from school by me. I then deliver them back home and always enter the house for a cuppa. It maybe different as I am single, but as far as I am aware I am not breaking any rules. We are in tier 2.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I think there were 61 daily deaths over the five year average for this time of the year. 2%chance of dying with Covid and 98% from a stroke or a bus.

I not going to be the one who tells her. I send emails and phone her or drop shopping outside. She has family but long distance.

My understanding is that informal childcare arrangements are exempted throughout as of course the government want people to continue to work and of course people need to work to earn. Also, throughout the pandemic, it has been permissible for children whose parents are separated to travel to and from each parent's home.
Unfortunately 'one size fits all' doesn't work with these rules. We can all only do our best to keep as safe as we can.

I still don’t understand the ‘childcare’ bubble idea. I don’t think there is any such thing but maybe I’m wrong. Therefore if you’re in Tiers Two or Three, theoretically grandparents can’t do any childcare unless they’re in a single person bubble with the parents. With Tier One the rule of six applies so childcare is possible.
But how parents are supposed to work with no childcare is beyond me!

There is such a thing as childcare bubbles. Here's the guidance and you can jump to 'childcare'
www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-high#childcare

When you’re talking about isolating classes/bubbles, the only thing that really counts is distancing.
You can sanitise, wear masks and visors etc. and that all helps, but if you have been within 2 metres of a child for longer than a minute (I think), and either of you develops symptoms you/they have to isolate. A lot of classrooms have a 2m distance line from the front row of desks to remind the children and the teacher how close they should be for longer periods of time.