How does the coronavirus lockdown affect nanny employment?

As it stands, the Government is asking everyone to stay home unless it is absolutely necessary. However, the Government has said that you are able to travel to and from work if you are not able to do your job at home. This means, that because nannies are not able to do their job at home, they are able to travel to their place of work. Little Ones is able to provide a letter stating the reasons you are required to be outside that you can present to authorities if required.

It is strongly recommended that nannies that continue to work with their family to either walk or cycle to the home and to avoid public transport. However, if you are not able to walk or cycle, speak to your employer about whether they would be able to drive you to and from work each day. Alternatively, some parents who cannot do their jobs without a nanny and are not able to drive them to and from work each day are now opting to have the nanny live in with them during this time.

Am I eligible for redundancy pay because of coronavirus?

In the unfortunate circumstance that you lose your job because of coronavirus, you may be entitled to redundancy pay. To qualify for redundancy pay you need to meet the following conditions:

• The requirements for employees to perform the work of a specific type or to conduct it at the location in which they are employed has ceased or diminished.
• Your employer has ceased business

So, if the role is no longer available and there is no work for the nanny to do, then their role can be made redundant, but they are still entitled to receive their notice and pay during that time. Plus, if they have worked for more than 2 years for the same family and therefore the same employer, they will legally be entitled to redundancy pay.

How do I know if I need to self-isolate and am I entitled to SSP?

As it stands, the Government only recommends self-isolating if you feel as though you are showing symptoms of Covid-19. However, it is important to stay at home as much as you can during this time to help stem the spreading of the virus. Everyone with flu-like symptoms - defined as a fever of above 37.8C or a persistent cough - is being asked to stay at home for at least seven days.

Also, anyone who has travelled to an affected area, or who has been in close contact with an infected person, have already been asked to self-isolate for 14 days even if they do not have any symptoms to avoid continuing the spread of the virus. Close contact is being defined as spending 15 minutes within 2m or 6 feet of someone with the virus.

Public Health is advising people who fall into the following categories to self isolate to help flatten the spread of coronavirus:

• People who have been diagnosed with coronavirus
• People who have coronavirus symptoms
• People who have been advised to self-isolate by a doctor
• People who share a household with someone who has coronavirus symptoms

If you fall into one of those categories, you will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, this is currently at £94.25 per week.

If you chose to self-isolate as a precaution but you do not fall into one of the categories listed, you can either take that time as holiday or as unpaid leave.

To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay a nanny normally must:

• Be classed as an employee and have done work for their employer
• Have been ill four days in a row - however, the Government have changed this so you are eligible for SSP from the first day of your illness
• Earn an average of at least £118 per week
• Inform your employer you are sick within 7 days

If you are a hiring family and request that your nanny does not attend work, either as a precaution or because as a household you need to self-isolate, you should still pay your nanny their full standard salary.

What is considered self-isolation? Self-isolation means cutting yourself off from the rest of the world. You need to stay at home, not go to work, school or other public places, and avoid public transport or taxis, says Public Health England.

If you live with someone it is advised to limit contact with others as much as possible. If you share a kitchen, try to use it when others are not, clean surfaces as you cook and take meals back to your room. You should not share towels, toiletries or other household items with someone in isolation and they should have a separate bathroom. If that is not possible, the isolated person should use the bathroom last, cleaning it thoroughly afterwards if they are able.

Any rubbish that the isolated person has been in contact with should be double-bagged and kept. If the person tests positive, you will be told what to do with their waste.

Workers will get statutory sick pay from the first day off work, not the fourth, to help contain coronavirus, the prime minister has said. Many casual or agency workers may also be entitled to sick pay but self-employed people are not. If you are unsure whether you are eligible, speak to your employer. If you need to care for a relative or your child's school is closed and you need to look after them at short notice, your employer must give you time off, but it may be unpaid.

It is important to remember that if you do not have symptoms, have not travelled back from a high-risk area, do not live with someone who is displaying symptoms and you are not in an at-risk group you are not required to isolate. An employee cannot choose to self-isolate simply because they are worried about becoming infected. There is a lot of concern and hysteria surrounding the spread of the coronavirus and whilst employers should be sensitive to your concerns and should discuss these with you if you refuse to work you could face disciplinary consequences.

What is the advice if you are pregnant

The Government has advised that pregnant women should self-isolate and minimise social contact for up to 12 weeks from the 20th of March. The Government’s guidance states that pregnant women should avoid non-essential use of public transport, varying their travel times to avoid rush hour, when possible. They are also being advised to work from home, where possible. Clearly nannies will not be able to work from home. If an employer has told their pregnant nanny, that she should go home then the employer should pay her.

However, should she have to self-isolate, then guidance has been sent to UK employers and said self-isolation should be considered "sickness for employment purposes".

Everyday precautions you can take against the contraction of coronavirus

Good personal hygiene is the most effective way to limit the spread of Covid-19. Below are a few tips on how you can best avoid the contraction and spread of the disease.

• Clean your hands often
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.
• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.
• Wash your hands after touching surfaces in public places.
• Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes.
• Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs, introduce a routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones
• Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like Covid-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick.
• Avoid all non-essential travel
• Stay home as much as possible, consider ways of getting food brought to your house through family, social, or delivery networks

It is important to remember that everyone needs to be vigilant with their health and hygiene. All childcare candidates that are placed with Little Ones are required to have a valid paediatric first aid certificate. All candidates that completed their paediatric first aid certificate with Little Ones will have completed a section on the importance of health and hygiene and how to encourage children to be thorough with their own health and hygiene. Ensuring everyone in your home is as thorough as they possibly can with their hygiene, especially washing their hands is currently the best way to protect those in your home.

The information provided in this article should not be used as legal advice but is intended to provide advice during this time of uncertainty.