To have asked for £160 from a single mum on income support

[lucindia]

I'm a childminder. I looked after a child for a single mum on income support. She was doing the 15 hours free hours. She phoned to tell me she would be sending her daughter to the local school in 4 weeks time.

So I contacted the funding department to explain that I would no longer be having the child and the date that would start.

They got back to me and said they would only be able to pay the first week of the notice period and the rest would have to be paid for by the parent.

Even though the mum had given me a months notice, I didn't actually have her child at all during that month. The day she text to say she would be going to school in a months time, was the day she stopped coming to me as the Mum was visiting family for a month.

But I was still entitled to be paid for that month. It was also a compulsory notice period.

So I sent a very polite message to the Mum explaining that she would have a balance of £160 to pay as the funding department could only pay 1 weeks notice.

She said that was fine but would need to wait until her income support payment came in the next day and would then send me that. She would send the £60 the following week from her child tax credit.

I thought nothing of it.

I mentioned it in passing to my mother in law (who I get on very well with) and she said she couldn't believe I made her pay £160 when I never even looked after her child for that notice period month and that seeing as my husband and I have a joint income of 40k we could have easily afford to let her off with the £160 which was a lot for a single mum on income support.

I never considered I was doing anything wrong. I'm entitled to be paid for that month and there's a notice period for a reason.

I really like the girls mum and we always had a great relationship when her daughter was with me. She's been with me from before she was 1 as her mum was finishing university.

What do you think. Was I unreasonable to ask for the money?

She's on benefits but qualified in a professional job and job hunting. So does have options.

Neither op or LP found it awkward Sherbrooke based on the op posts. You are projecting that. Op just mentioned it to her mil who thought she did something wrong.

Contractually, you are in the right, but from a moral point of view you're very much in the wrong for starting this thread on an open public forum.
You've shared enough about this woman and her circumstances for her to be able to spot herself a mile off. Maybe consider for a moment how reading this back might feel to her?

No Opal, it says quite clearly in the OP that the LP gave 4 weeks notice, the fact that she didn't use the last 4 weeks of her contract doesn't make a difference, the government still only paid for one week of the notice period - it would have been the same if she had given notice even earlier. No idea why the OP didn't call up on the last day but she didn't, she called when she was given the notice, 4 weeks before the contract ended.

I would have asked for half payment or if another child filled the spot then no payment at all but I know I am a bit soft. I tutor A level and sometimes spend 15 or 20 minutes extra to ensure they understand a concept and do not charge extra time even when parents offer to pay the extra. However technically you are not wrong if that is in the contract she signed with you.

I think you are very mean to ask. You are well paid for the work you do and the odd favour here and there isn't a big deal. I'm sure you've had the odd day off when the child was sick and stayed away.

For a single working parent to be asked to be paid so much for doing nothing when you don't need the money, is I think, grasping. The contract is just a bit of paper as opposed to showing some humanity.

I tutor A level and if and my contract states unless I receive 48 hours notice of cancellation student should pay whether they attend or not. However if a student who generally has good attendance and is trying hard is unwell and cancels even on same day out of goodwill I only charge half fees.

It is business. If she had had a problem paying it and had asked you for a discount then in those circumstances you might have been unreasonable not to offer one.

So nice to see there are so many people able to forfeit £160!

Actually OurBlanche a font is the family the weight etc of the typeface but thank you for your ironically patronising attempt at correcting my choice of name, typefacesnob didn't have the same ring for me, an ex graphic designer in the 00's.

I find that patronising and keep asking why so many posters find the need to so belittle a woman. Do you all think she is thick as a brick because she is on benefits? Or what?

Could you project a little more? OP has already stated that the mother is fully qualified with a uni degree. As an ex-single mother also with a degree why would I assume that this woman was thick?

The fact is that you can only give an opinion on the information you are given. No where does it state that she has alternate income and no matter how good you are with money, an unexpected £160 bill when you are on a low income is going to be difficult to navigate.

You're bemused because you think about things differently, the world takes all sorts and as I said, i'm happy to own the title of bleeding heart as a compliment.

Opal you're simply offensive with your comment regarding owning a business and if you read back through the thread, many of us have given examples of successful business people acting with compassion under one off situations. You've also missed the fact that the mother did give her contractual 4 weeks notice.

Why didn't you call the funding later?

my ds is in nursery until sept 4th this year before starting school the next day. He has funding up until the start of august. Nursery have told me this so I know what I'll have to pay in august.

Seems she did the right thing notice wise, was it not possible for you to notify the funding so that it was all paid for?

You are well paid for the work you do and the odd favour here and there isn't a big deal.

£53.30 for 15 hours = £3.55/hour x maximum of 3children under 5 at any one time = £10.65/hour (variables: + 3 for a few hours after school, - any of ops children from quotas)

£10.65/hour minus expenses. You think that is well paid for the work she does?

This thread has business minded people who will not fall on hard times because they look at the long game, and bleeding hearts who have fallen on their sword and hard times because they haven't been rational and strategic in financial affairs and blame the business minded folk for not bailing them out.

Emotionally charged financial decisions are a dangerous path. OP is sensible to stick to ALL the terms of a contract. It prevents muddy water.

I'm confused as to why she couldn't get 15 free hours in the notice period. I'd be looking in to that if I was her.

We live in a sad corporate world

Yeah a sad corporate world where all those high powered bitch child minders unreasonably expect their terms and conditions to be adhered to. Where their poor down trodden clients agree to said T&C's and dont realise just how badly they are being treated because they are forced to SHOCK HORROR...pay their bills!

ourblanche - HANDY HINT TO AVOID LOOKING LIKE A TWAT IN FUTURE- there's this clever tool called ctrl & F whereby you can enter a poster's name and then all the posts they've made on a particular thread come up. You can then read to see there is any evidence to back up your opinion before you throw unfounded insults at people. If you had made this minimal effort so you would have seen one - two - three- four - five posts by me specifically stating that I disagreed with posters calling OP mean. Pretty much as far from insinuating she is a 'greedy bitch,' as you can get, I would have thought. I mean there was that subtle clue in my post where I said "(if you read the full thread you will see I've posted multiple times defending her decision)" but that obviously flew over your head.

Lots of people have asked for explanation of the funding discrepancy as it seems so unusual but nobody has been able to suggest an explanation. Just to spell it out to you as I thought I already had in my previous post - I am interested in it for my own reasons rather to cast any judgement on OP or her client.

And as for ' it is only those who have nothing to do with it who have come over all bleedin' hearts!' Surely you have as little to do with it as any other poster on here?

By the way, please explain how you know who the contract was between. You presumably haven't seen it and OP hasn't given any clarification?

Yanbu business wise but there is no way i could have done that tbh.
She may mot have said anything but i bet shes feeling the pinch now.

You are well paid for the work you do and the odd favour here and there isn't a big deal.

This is hilarious. I get £3.50 per hour, freaking amazing eh? And neither myself or any of the cm I know have full time kids 5 days a week nor up to their allocated numbers. In fact last week I only worked 18 hours, kids overlapped 3.5hrs out of the whole week. Then take off my professional expenses, food, travel expenses, etc. Just call me Mrs Moneybags

There are things you can do...and things you should do.

Of course, this is a matter for your own conscience but I suspect that by having to ask the question you know exactly what the answer is - but I suspect that a few comments on here saying that you are entitled to it won't make you feel any better about taking the money.

But...it's all about what sort of person you want to be.

I wouldn't have asked since there was no child being looked after - but you're a business, it's up to you whether you enforce a contract or not.

Honestly? I am shocked. Yes you are entitled to it legally. But morally. Not at all. You didn't even give it a thought. Regardless of what the daily mail may say. life is a bloody struggle on benefits. This will have impacted her seriously. Education level is irrelevant.

@Willow2017 Off topic, but have you considered charging per session? I use this format and it has helped a lot. Much less work for the invoicing and accounts, and if someone only wants 2 hours that's up to them but the session price is the session price.

Sky TV, or some other subscription package.

I decide to leave and say I want to stop paying immediately. I don't put on my tv again. Should I pay the final bill that includes the notice period? Or should sky tv waive that fee for me?

Or should they have known that I was likely to be leaving soon because Netflix has a rest offer on at present?

life is a bloody struggle on benefits

No one is arguing that, but you know what? Life is also a struggle for the low waged too but I am sure that if the client had had a job no one would be questioning her paying the notice period.

If she didnt want to pay for that final month that she wasnt using then she should have given her notice a month earlier, therefore ending care on the friday before the holiday started. She would get the care paid for by funding, OP would be looking for someone to fill the vacancy and every one would be happy.

That she didnt give notice until the day (it seems) that care ended is her own fault and certainly not the OPs. She isnt a charity, this is her job. If people dont pay then she doesnt earn, end of.

Should the offer to waive it because I called up a month before to change back to my maiden name because my I had just LTB so now I'm obviously struggling financially as a LP?