Grrr citizens advice

[Penstraze]

I have been trying to call citizens advice to get some advice on whether we are likely to get any help towards childcare costs once baby is here and I go back to work cause boss is putting pressure on me to decide what im doing, I've dont the online calculator but my sister said it wasn't very accurate for her so wanted to see what citizens advice say and what my options are if dont get help, but I cant get through!!!
I have rang every local number repeatedly over the past two weeks one now no longer exists, one is no longer having service from bt right now (so basically doesn't exist) and the other just rings and rings then goes to answer phone, as I can't get a reply on the phone I don't really want to take time off work to try and drop in for advice just to find they're no longer there or something but not sure what else I can do is driving me mad!!!

 

[Princess_Puddles]

Would it not be better to ring Tax credits people because they will be the ones who help with childcare costs but getting estimates im not sure because you haven't had your baby yet and then you'll be on mat leave for a while. Your boss shouldn't badger you because you dont have to decide yet, you can decide when your babies here so you know how you are financially!!

 

[Jade&Evie]

your boss has no right to badger you about it. What's he going to do if you cant afford to return to work? Sack you? That's illegal.

ALL pregnant women are entitled to maternity leave and if you don't want to return to work then you just give your notice as you normally would (can run alongside your mat leave btw)

Might be worth moving this to the section on pregnancy rights because people in there will know what they are talking about! You want to ask Sherlock- she's our resident genius in third tri!

x

 

[Sherlock]

Ummm firstly you are under no obligation to tell your boss now when you plan to return from your maternity leave. All the info is on the Gov website about your rights and when to inform etc.

And also CAB are not the people you need to be calling as has been pointed out

Good luck

 

[Penstraze]

Thanks for your replies!!

Tax credits will not give estimates about tax credits they will only work out what your due right then so calling them is a waste of time, which is why was trying to contact citizens advice as want advice of what my options are if can't get help towards childcare costs.

My boss is my FIL I work for a small family firm and although I have mentioned that I don't need to make definate decissions yet legally I have been pestered to decide what im doing for definate since I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks! The whole family including my OH keep on at me that I need to make a decission what im doing and if I mention I dont have to yet I get a lecture on how its my moral obligation too!
Basically I want to come back to work part time for first 4 months and then full time after that but either way would be earning the same money pretty much after childcare costs and its not enough to live on!!

 

[Jade&Evie]

My boss is my FIL I work for a small family firm and although I have mentioned that I don't need to make definate decissions yet legally I have been pestered to decide what im doing for definate since I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks! The whole family including my OH keep on at me that I need to make a decission what im doing and if I mention I dont have to yet I get a lecture on how its my moral obligation too!

He's still your employer in the eyes of the law- and as the grandfather of your baby you'd think the last thing he'd care about was if you were coming back or not!

Maybe it would be best to say you are taking your maternity leave and then NOT going back. Then, if you afford to return to work you could find a new job. He legally has to pay you SMP though- He can't terminate your contract on the grounds that you are pregnant, although I can see it would be quite awkward to take your FIL to a tribunal over unfair dismissal!

I don't envy you

 

[Sherlock]

Oooo I forgot you work for the family. It can make things awkward.

TBH I'm inclined to agree with inforabumpyride. Take your leave and then look elsewhere for a job and leave them to it.

They should be more understanding and supportive of you and just because they are family does not give them any right to put pressure on you. You are, when at work and regarding work matters, an employee and should be treated accordingly as they would their other staff. As a pregnant woman you have rights and they need to respect those without making you feel pressured or obliged to give them answers you are not yet able to give. Moral obligation my arse. Sorry, but don't let them push you into a corner on this.

If it was another female employee who is not family in this situation they would not be doing this I don't think. They would be looking at some seriously dodgy ground if they did.

TBH I'd not be too hopeful you'll get that much help with childcare costs. If you go back to work part time you'll lose your maternity pay as I understand it. So it would have to be worth your while to do so.

I did find this

The Right to Request Flexible Working

Employees who are the parents of young children (under the age of 6) or of disabled children (under the age of 18) have the right to request flexible working patterns. Employers are required to give such requests serious consideration, and may only turn such requests down if they follow a set procedure and are able to justify the decision. Full advice and guidance on the right to request flexible working.

There may be circumstances where a refusal to permit a woman to work part-time or to change her working pattern in some way amounts to unlawful indirect sex discrimination. For example, it may be more difficult for female employees to fulfil the requirement to work full time, given their child-care commitments, than it would be for male equivalents to do so. In circumstances such as this the employer would need to show that there were objective reasons for asking her to work full-time that had nothing to do with her sex.

The thing is, you want to return PT then step up to full time within a time frame I suppose in a way if they are willing to do this it is good. You are having your wishes granted. But if all it is doing is covering your childcare costs then is it worth it? I don't know. Working for family is fraught with complications.

A lot of the benefits depend on how much your OH earns etc. For example, my OH earns enough to be classed as able to support us so we can only claim the bare minimum. It is pointless me returning to work before my maternity leave is up as it would cost me in childcare and we have to pay for that ourselves. We decided we would rather have that loss and me be able to stay home with our baby than have to cover it all and not be home during the week.

 

[Penstraze]

Thanks for your replies! I do feel pressured to make definate decissions too much in advance and stressed by that but I don't want to make FIL out to be uncaring of me or his future grandchild him and my MIL have been extreamly good to me he is purely concerned for his buisness and has on at least one occassion mentioned shutting the buisness down if I don't return - which is largely why I feel under so much pressure I love my inlaws and don't want to leave them in the lurch I also love my job (most the time lol) and am on good money but thats largely the problem my DH and I are both on a reasonable wage (just under £20,000 before tax etc each) so am pretty sure we wont get help but the childcare costs are so high that I would have nothing left hardly of my wage by the end of it and although DH's wage is a good one we couldn't survive on that alone.
I have been umming an ahhing about becoming a childminder as I am qualified to NVQ level 3 but the thought of going it alone and not having a definate regular wage is quite a scary one, I also worry whether I would be able to do it because we rent and don't know if we will be living somewhere else by then and I have a very lively dog.

I agree with you if I am not going to get more money working part time then on SMP that I will be beter off taking my full maternity leave.

 

[Sherlock]

Would a childminder not work out cheaper for you than daycare? Should you return to work? Surely its the cheapest of the options and you have plenty of time to find a good one in your area and go on a wait list if need be.

I think there are criteria to be met with childminding if you want to do it, you could call your council and see if they can point you in the right direction. Or look online.

The other thing to look into is a nanny share perhaps? You and another family hire a nanny 5 days a week to care for your child and another one of a similar age. Rotate is between your homes, one week your place, the other, you take your child to the other house. Can be covered then from whatever time in the morning till a reasonable time in the evening (5-6pm ish). It would cost, but if you a splitting it with someone else, it would work out cheaper. Still, it would take a fair chunk of you earnings, but should leave you with enough at the end of it to make it worthwhile. Unless you live in the Home Counties or London in which case it'd cost you £20,000 a year before you even blink. In more outlying areas you could look at a hell of a lot less. But then you will have to cover holidays etc and pay stamp and so on on top.

On your salaries I doubt very much you will be eligible for anything other than tax credits. We are the same and tbh it just isn't worth it for me to return to work full time in this area. Not unless I nanny again and I don't want to do that. We can't see the point of paying someone to care for our child and then only being a bit better off each month from my salary. If it was going to be £5-10,000 a year it'd be worth it, but it won't be so we are preparing and cutting back etc. And hubby is looking to take more work on. I hope to work 16 hours a week locally doing whatever, more for my sanity than anything else, but hubby will be looking after baby while I do.

 

[Princess_Puddles]

Me and OH untill I lost my job had just over what your household income is and we were entitled to Childcare costs, not alot though as he only goes 2 afternoons a week to get him interacting with other children, we didn't tell them untill beginning of March and he had started in January & they gave us £758 in two seperate payments, I think it was to backdate, I'm not sure but it wasn't a mistake cause we rung to ask.