Equal Opportunities and Diversity Unit

Coronavirus: information on compatibility

All across Germany, schools and childcare facilities are closed. Most employees are working from home, for students the summer semester and the associated digital teaching will begin shortly. At the same time, children have to be occupied or schooled. This poses particular challenges for people with care and childcare obligations, including those who care for and/or look after relatives or persons belonging to so-called risk groups.
The University of Göttingen offers a lot of legal and technical information on the websites "Coronavirus: FAQ for Staff“ und "Coronavirus: Information for students“.

We as the FamilyService, also working from home, offer you information on the topic of compatibility of studies/science/work and family which we update and extend continuously. Please feel free to send an e-mail to familienservice@zvw.uni-goettingen.de, if you know of any information that we could link to on this website, or let us know what further information you would like us to provide. You are also very welcome to subscribe to our Facebook page or join the group "Studieren mit Kind an der Uni Göttingen".

Employment and Continued Remuneration


Childcare

  • Expansion of emergency care in day-care centres and schools (in German): Emergency care will continue to be provided for daycare centres, nurseries and after-school care facilities until the summer holidays. The care capacities will be expanded: “"Emergency care is intended to provide care for children of whom at least one parent or guardian is employed in a position of operational necessity in a profession of general public interest. Emergency care is also offered in cases of particular hardship such as impending dismissal or considerable loss of earnings.” It should also be ensured that children living in difficult social circumstances can use the emergency care. For the period of validity of the regulation, these arrangements also apply to children in grades one to eight.
    If necessary, submit an application to your day care centre/school immediately, explain your needs and submit a certificate from your employer.
  • On the website of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs (in German) you will find all relevant information on school and daycare closures and emergency care.
  • The childcare services at the university childcare during events, emergency and childcare for learning and studying on Saturdays) are expected to be discontinued.
    In exceptional cases - this concerns first of all university employees, who in the current situation are responsible for the compulsory maintenance of the university and whose childcare is not ensured - a 1:1 emergency care can be organised.
  • the university summer holiday care, even though we cannot guarantee that the offer can be carried out.


Tending for Relatives


  • Make use of the possibilities, which the university offers regarding the home office since 18.03. If necessary, talk to your supervisors about possibilities of work organization that make it easier for you to care for relatives.
  • 14.05.2020: The German Bundestag has passed a new legal regulation to support home care and the compatibility of care and work (in German). The new regulation includes an increase in short-term work incapacity to 20 days (instead of the previous 10 days) as well as an increase in the nursing care allowance. It should also be possible to apply for leave of absence from work under the Care or Family Care Act at shorter notice than before.
  • Visiting relatives in nursing homes is still very restricted in Lower Saxony. Visits are only permitted if the management of the facility can prove, on the basis of a hygiene concept, that protected contact between residents as well as between residents and visitors is ensured – Regulations of the Lower Saxony state government (§2a). The BIVA (Bundesinteressenvertretung für alte und pflegebetroffene Menschen e. V.) has compiled an overview of the different regulations in the individual federal states regarding restrictions on visits to retirement and nursing homes. (In German)
  • If the person in need of care has visited a day care facility which is now closed, inform yourself about the emergency regulations and whether there are exceptions for special professional groups to which you may belong.
  • Care/providing care at a distance: Often your relatives are not yet in a nursing care level, but still belong to the risk group. Almost everywhere, there are corona help networks that support your relatives, for example by doing the shopping. They can be found in social networks (e.g. Corona-Hilfe Göttingen) or you can contact the parish in your relative's area of residence and ask how help could be organised locally.



Possibilities for financial support


Mobile working