Going Back to Work

The options

There are different types of childcare available, you need to go over all the options and decide which form will work the best for you and your child’s needs.

• Childminders: self-employed childcarers who will look after your child, as well as other children, probably in their own home
• Day nurseries: provide care and education for children aged from six weeks up to five years old.
• Nannies: employed by you, and look after your children in your home.
• Nursery schools and classes: provide early education, from ages three to five years. These placements can be full-time or half-day sessions.
• Playgroups: a not-for...

It’s understandable for a parent to lean on their family and friends for emotional support and practical help with childcare arrangements. We all need extra support and help from our families from time to time.  However for many of us being able to turn to our parents, or extended family, is not always an option. Living far away from our parents or siblings, can make us feel isolated and unsure where or who to turn to. The pressure you may feel might be overwhelming and Family Lives can understand this.  We are here to support you and would encourage you to speak to one of our family support workers on Live Chat, Email Support or...

Being a parent, managing a job, maintaining a home and having some sort of social life for yourself means that there are never enough hours in the day.

It’s not easy balancing work and home but how you manage can make quite a difference to your relationship with your family. There are pros and cons to every option. If you are employed full-time or part-time, you may:

• Have a better standard of living and have fewer money problems.
• Feel pleased you're making a contribution and have more self esteem.
• Have friends and a social life outside the home.

But you may also feel:

• Overwhelmed with too much work and are missing out on family life.
• That you're not there for your kids or your partner.
• ...

On Monday 6 April 2009, all parents of children aged 16, were given the right to ask their employer for flexible working arrangements.

The rule extends legislation introduced in 2003, which allowed parents with children under six to request more family-friendly hours. It will mean that an additional 4.5 million employees will be eligible to request flexible working – that’s around 10 million overall.

So what is flexible working? Flexible working is any working pattern that is adapted for the benefit of the individual and that also suits their employer. The types of flexible working include part-time, flexi-time, compressed hours, staggered hours, term time working, job sharing and working from home. Many employers already offer flexible working, but this new law means...