Your guide to childcare

Yes, if you’re part of an extended household then any adult in that extended household can look after your children, even if you don’t live with them. You can find out more about who can form extended households here.

This depends on the level your area is in. At all levels, you still need to be mindful of physical distancing and hygiene when you're indoors and limit your contact with other people wherever you can.

Level 0

If you’re in level 0 then other friends or family can still look after your children, in line with the guidance on indoor socialising. This means that, if you live in a level 0 area, a friend, a family member, babysitter, or nanny can look after you children for any reason, not just because it's essential, and they can look after children from two households at once.

Level 1 and level 2 islands

In Orkney, Shetland and Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles), you can meet in your home or in another person's home in groups of up to 6 people from up to 2 separate households. This also applies to other islands in level 1 areas, with the exception of islands like Skye that are connected to mainland Scotland by road. From 6pm on Friday 18 December, this also applies to people in the outer Argyll islands. Children under 12 don't count towards the total number of people, but they do count towards the number of households.  This means that, a friend, family member, babysitter, or nanny can look after your children for any reason, not just because it is essential. However, they still can't look after the children of more than one household at once.

Other level 1-2 areas and level 3

For all other areas in level 1 and those in levels 2 and 3, a friend, family member, babysitter, or nanny can still look after your children where necessary, for example, so you can go to work or medical appointments. However, the caregiver can only look after children from one other household at a time. So, for example, a nanny-share wouldn’t be permitted, as that would involve children from 2 households and a nanny from a third household. If a grandparent normally looks after cousins, then in levels 1-3, they would only be able to look after one set of grandchildren at a time. 

The friend, family member, babysitter, or nanny can look after your child in your home or theirs, provided of course that no-one in either household has coronavirus symptoms. We would still recommend limiting informal childcare to necessary childcare. The type of situations where you might use informal childcare could be:

• if you need childcare to enable you to work (this can include working from home)
• to attend medical appointments for you or another child
• you or your children have on-going regular health or social care needs
• illness or health issues mean you can't look after them
• respite care if your child is disabled.

Level 4

For areas in level 4, you should only use informal childcare if it's essential (see 'Who can access childcare at level 4?' below).

In level 4, your child should move between households, rather than your friend, family member, babysitter, or nanny coming to your house to look after your child. In some cases it may be essential for the caregiver to come to your home, for example if your child has additional support needs or you don't have transport. In this case, everybody should be extra careful around hygiene and must follow physical distancing rules at all times.

You should only use informal childcare in level 4 if it's essential. This means that you can leave your child with a friend, family member, babysitter or nanny if:

• you're a key worker and require informal childcare to go to work
• you work in an industry that is permitted to operate at level 4, and you require informal childcare to go to work
• you're working from home, and you need informal childcare so you can to continue to work and no alternative can be found.

Keyworkers include:

• health and care workers 
• public sector workers providing emergency or critical welfare services, such as Fire, Police, Prisons, Social Workers and workers in any of the 13 critical national infrastructure sectors
• education and childcare staff, including support staff.

If you aren't a keyworker and don't work in another industries that's permitted to operate in level 4, you can only use informal childcare if it's essential and you have no other option. Essential childcare means:

• you are working from home, and you need informal childcare to enable you to continue to work
• you or another child need to attend medical appointments
• you or your children have on-going regular health or social care needs
• illness or health issues mean you can't look after your child
• respite care if your child is disabled.

Your employer should offer homeworking and other flexible working arrangements to help you balance work with care. If moving into level 4 is going to give you additional caring responsibilities, it's a good idea to discuss flexible working with your employer so you can come up with a balance that works for everyone.

In level 4, the risk from indoor mixing is greater, so most in-home childcare (babysitters, family, nannies) is not advised. Where necessary, for keyworkers and people working in industries permitted at level 4, or those who are required to work from home, informal childcare is permitted if the child goes to the home of the caregiver. Nannies normally work in the home of the child/children they care for so it may not be possible for the children to travel to their home for childcare.

At level 4, you should think carefully about whether you use a nanny or other in-home childcare, due to the increased risks of indoor mixing in level 4. 

We advise avoiding the use of nannies or other childcare in your own home, except for a limited number of situations where this is not possible:

• If due to disability or medical needs of the child or parent
• If transport requirements mean that this is not possible.
• For essential childcare that cannot be provided in the home of the caregiver, and where no alternatives are available.

In these circumstances, extra precautions should be taken by both the caregiver and the family (e.g. cleaning, ventilation and avoiding shared food or utensils).
 

Yes, you can take your child to their regular ELC provider if they are in a different local authority area. If you use informal childcare (for example, babysitters or family looking after your child) then you can travel between areas for the purpose of essential childcare. 

Here are the rules around travel in more detail:

Levels 0-2
If you live in an area in level 0-2 you mustn’t travel in and out of areas in levels 3 or 4 unless it’s essential. You should also try not to travel between areas in other levels as well.

Level 3
If you live in a level 3 area you mustn’t leave your local authority area unless it’s essential. 

Level 4
If you live in a level 4 area you mustn’t leave your local authority area unless it’s essential and you should try to travel within your local authority area as little as possible.

All levels
Essential reasons for travel include:

• work
• education (this includes travel for school, university and nursery, home education, training and school day trips) 
• essential childcare
• if you are sharing parenting or in an extended household and you live in different local authority areas
• providing or receiving voluntary services
• children’s organised activities (including baby and toddler groups)
• accessing healthcare
• antenatal and postnatal classes.

You can find out more about travel restrictions and exemptions, travelling safely and using public transport on the Scottish Government website.

We should avoid car sharing with people outside an extended household unless it's essential.

If your child is under 12, the person looking after them doesn’t need to distance. However, adults and children 12 and over from different households should stay 2 metres away from each other, unless there’s an emergency – for example, if a child gets hurt and needs help.

Lots of us rely on friends and families for informal childcare but right now, it’s best to limit it to essential childcare, and to take precautions. One thing you can do to limit risk is to avoid adults interacting, or visiting other households. For example if a grandparent is babysitting maybe let them look after your child at their house as opposed to them coming to yours, especially if you’re working from home.

If you can, try to arrange for the same person to look after your children, rather than different people, as this will limit the amount of contact your children has with others. 

If the babysitter who usually looks after your children also looks after other families at other times, they may decide to limit this to one family, to reduce the risk from being in different homes. 

Some additional risk comes from preparing food for people outside our household, so you may choose to supply your children with any food they need for the day. And as the virus is less likely to spread when we are outdoors it is best for family or friends to spend as much time outside as possible when they’re looking after your children.

Children with additional needs should follow the physical distancing guidelines appropriate to their physical age where possible, which means 12s and over should physically distance, except in an emergency.

In levels 0-3, there’s no time limit for how long someone can look after your child, including overnight if required. However, everyone aged 12 and over will need to maintain physical distancing at all times so it’s important to think the arrangements through and decide whether it’s practical.

For areas in level 4, this would be acceptable for essential workers if it was the only available option (see 'Who can access childcare in level 4?' above).

It’s fine for someone else to feed your baby if they are providing childcare, however, you may wish to prepare their food in advance to be safe. It’s also fine for someone else to change your baby’s nappy, or help a little one on the potty, as long as they keep everything clean and wash their hands before and after.

Before you leave your child with someone else, make sure they have everything your child will need, such as pre-prepared food and drink, utensils, disposable wipes and a towel. The person looking after your child should of course maintain good hygiene and cleaning measures.

Whatever level your area is in, you shouldn’t give anyone from another household a lift in your car, or accept a lift from someone from another household, unless it’s essential. So if someone is providing necessary childcare for your child after school, and it’s too far to walk, then that might be considered essential. If this is the case, try to limit the number of passengers and space out as much as possible and keep the windows open. You shouldn’t share a car with people from more than 1 household at a time. Travel Scotland have further advice on travelling here.

If you need other friends or family to help look after your child while you are at work, the people that help you should keep their contact with people from other households to a minimum, stringently follow the FACTS advice, and avoid sharing food and utensils. Whilst in the house, if possible, they should avoid touching hard surfaces but also regularly wipe surfaces down with anti-bacterial cleaner. Keep windows open and have fresh air flowing through the house, as much as possible. 

There’s no law about what age your child can be left at home. However, you mustn’t leave a child on their own if they'll be at risk. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) recommends:

• babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone
• children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for a long period of time
• children under 16 shouldn't be left alone overnight. The NSPCC website has more advice about deciding when it's safe for a child to be left alone

The NSPCC website has more advice about deciding when it's safe for a child to be left alone.