Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Should i pay my childminder when our daughter cant go to her when her kids are sick?

33 replies

emmapi · 19/10/2010 19:40

hi. advise gratefully received -
We've recently started up with a new childminder who we think is great and our child seems happy, which is a relief, after we werent happy with our last childminder. However, she contacted us this week to say that her child (who she looks after alongside ours) was really quite sick (fever, cough and flu) so did we still want our daughter to go to her this week. She didnt decide to close, she very clearly told us our daughter could still come, but at the high risk of getting sick! I asked if we'd still have to pay if we didn?t send our daughter and she said "yes", because in our contract, we've signed with her, we've agreed she will get sick pay (not sure what contract it is, its not NCMA, but all it says is she'll get sick pay, not for how long or that this applies to when her kids are sick). However, there's no mention in the contract we signed with her, that this sick pay covers her kids being sick. I have to take annual leave if I am off work because my child is sick. I suggested she did the same - take it as annual leave, and she didn?t want to. I suggested we swap the days I work this week so she can have my daughter later in the week when her son is hopefully better, but she said she would charge us an additional day for this. I don?t want to fall out with yet another childminder, but it does seem quite unreasonable, especially given that the National Childminding association advised me that childminders don?t normally get any sick pay at all! Never mind when there kids are sick! I also worry, that in our contract with her there's no mention of how much/how long her sick pay should cover?what if she's off sick (or her kids) for months and I have to use up all my annual leave and then take unpaid leave from work! That is probably me worrying too much, as she says she's never been sick before neither have her kids (I find that hard to believe, kids are always sick!), but she had glowing references from the other parents she works with so it must be true. Advise gratefully received! I really don?t want to fall out with our childminder as she's fab with our daughter, but at the same time, can I just ignore all this and just hope neither she nor her kids are sick again? What if I then am contractually obliged to pay her for months off sick!!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
xoxcherylxox · 19/10/2010 21:16

i have one week of sick fees in my contract but then it is deducted of the year fee ie 46 weeks full pay, 5 weeks holiday (no pay and 1 sick week (no pay) so i divide the 46 weeks over the 52. keeps everyone happy as every1 knows where they stand.
i only introduced the sick pay after having my 1st sick day off in 5 years and parents didnt no if they were to pay me or no as i had never been off.

StarExpat · 19/10/2010 20:58

I could just never sign a contract that would mean that I might be in a position of having to pay double on some weeks for childcare (cm on holiday or sick). I understand why some cms put this in their contract, but I'm not used to paying for a service when it's unavailable. Even TalkTalk, our internet provider, did not charge us for the amount of time that it was not available to us. I know that's different. But it's a service and a contract I signed.

Original poster
emmapi · 19/10/2010 20:47

just checked our contract and it says "your minder is entitled up to one weeks sick pay per year". spoke to her just now and she agreed to log today as sick, but tomorrow not as sick, so altho we dont feel he's well enough to send our daughter, we are paying and its not coming off as sick or holiday.

OP posts:
Strix · 19/10/2010 19:59

I think she is well out of order. But, I would never have signed up to all that in a contract. Standard practice for nannies (who unlike your childminder are employees) is SSP only.

And, absolutely, you are right that sick pay is for a sick employee -- or childminder in your case. It is not for when their children are sick. I would think it is only fair for her to bring her own children to work sick if she accepts yours when he/she is sick. I would want to send my child to her under the proviso that if my child catches the illness she will still look after him/her.

I think it is very unfair that her child can be present and infect others. But if other's catch it the doors are closed.

I suppose the fair thing would be to put this into your contract, but it's a bit late for that now.

I would not pay for these days if she had said she was unavailable because they are certainly not covered under her sick policy. But, since she did offer to take your child, she is being rather cheeky putting the decision of whether or not to show up on you.

StarExpat · 19/10/2010 19:53

If you want to discuss the contract and define terms more clearly and work with her to sort this out, she shouldn't "fall out" with you over it. If she's professional, she will discuss it with you calmly and rationally. If she gets stroppy with you, that's not professional and I'd steer clear. Personally I'd just try to discuss it with her.

greatgoose · 19/10/2010 19:49

As long as she was caring for her child in isolation eg upstairs in bed, and washing her hands well between visits to her then I would have been quite happy to have sent my children to her. It wasn't d and v, and as long as the childminder was symptom free herself I wouldn't think there to be any more risk than that encountered normally.

Original poster
emmapi · 19/10/2010 19:44

i know, but what do i do - do i stick to my guns and demand she agree to take it as holiday and also that we agree a maximum amount of potential sick leave, at the risk of falling out with her?

OP posts:
NothereisnobodylurkingbehindU · 19/10/2010 19:43

I wouldn't want to pay. Ok she said you could send your child - but why would you want to in those circumstances. I think she's being v unreasonable.