Find Back-up Emergency Childcare

How to find back-up emergency childcare at short notice

If your childcare provider leaves you in the lurch at the last moment it can be very inconvenient for you, unsettling for your child and catastrophic for your job! Of course, in an ideal world, we all have family members round the corner who can step in at a moments’ notice to care for the children so we can dash off to work.

However, local family help is simply not an option for many families so it is very important that contingency plans are in place.

Where can I find emergency childcare?

Many childminders belong to childminding networks or groups and work closely with at least one other childminder who may, depending on spaces available, be able to offer you emergency care.

Similarly, nannies often work together and know other local nannies who will be happy to step in to help each other at short notice, so it is always worth asking during interview if your childminder or nanny have local links and provide this service.

Our free Babysitter Jobs feature allows you to post a babysitter job on a particular date and time and we will automatically alert local babysitters who can apply for the position. This is a good way of finding emergency childcare at short notice.

Find emergency childcare

Search the UK's largest choice of childcare providers

Childcare.co.uk have hundreds of thousands of childcare providers listed on our platform so there is a good chance you will find a childcare provider in your local area who is able provide part-time or emergency cover. Remember to search using postcodes in your local area and on your journey to work as this will broaden the search area available to you and allow you more flexibility.

Short term and temporary care can take some organising and you do have to be confident that your child is happy with the childcare provider you choose - plus appropriate documentation must be completed to safeguard you and your child - but it can work well in an emergency, especially if your childcare provider is going to be ill or called away unexpectedly for a few days.

During the holidays there are often childcare providers who work term time only and who do not mind taking a few extra children to cover for colleagues who have to take time off or who are on holiday. You should enquire about this as soon as possible so contingency plans are in place before the event. This will make it much less stressful for your child because they will be able to meet the childcare provider first.

Find emergency childcare

In the first instance register with Childcare.co.uk and create a free profile detailing your requirements. Your profile will be shown to local childcare providers who will also be immediately alerted of your requirements by email.  You might find that the ideal childcare provider is right on your doorstep.

Find emergency childcare