Am I required to work with children who have mild illnesses?

In the current climate, we understand that many Nannies are hesitant to work in homes where there are sick children or adults.

For this reason, we send clients an email reminder 48 hours before the start of every appointment asking them to cancel their appointments if anyone in their household is sick.

Nevertheless, sometimes you may arrive at a client's home and find that a child has come down with a mild illness. In this case, we find that most parents are testing their children for COVID-19 to ensure their health and safety.

What does this mean for you as a Nanny? There are 3 possible scenarios:

1. If a child has fallen ill, the client may choose to cancel the appointment when you arrive at their home. In this case, you'll need to tell them that your cancellation fee applies and immediately invoice them for 4 hours of your time before you leave their home. Wait until the client pays you before you leave.

2. If a child is sick and the client still needs you to care for them, you can choose to work if you're comfortable, especially if the person who's ill has received a negative result for a COVID-19 test.

3. If the client messages about their child's illness OR you arrive at the client's home, and someone is sick, and you're NOT comfortable working in these circumstances, you have the option to tell the family that you don't want to work. In this case, you are NOT entitled to collect the cancellation fee.