Guidance from Mind around working from home and childcare responsibilities

For parents and carers of children and young people if you are working from home more than usual you may find it especially difficult if you are also looking after children who would usually be in nursery, school or college while you work

• Think about how to balance your work with caring for your children.  Your manager may be able to help you balance your work and childcare responsibilities.
• Think about being more lenient with your children’s social media and mobile phone use during their time at home.  If your child would normally go to school or college, they will be used to being around other children for several hours a day.  They might find it difficult to be removed from this, especially if they’re also worried about their health.
• Ask their school or college of any digital learning is available while your children are at home, and what technology they may need.  Remember to add time in for breaks and lunch.
• If no digital learning is available, you could encourage your children to select books or podcasts they’d like to explore during their time away from school or college.  You can also think about card games, board games and puzzles, and any other way to stay active or be creative.
• For older teens, there are free online courses they could try out.  For example, these could be from FutureLearn and BBC Bitesize
• Your local library might also have online activities or resources you can use.