I'm a cm for after schoolies. In a couple of weeks there is an inset day so school will be closed and I think the parents will make other arrangements for the mindees for the day, eg take them

[kciw]

to work with them. I will still get paid as I will be available to work.

How avalable do I have to be though ? I have a friend a couple of hours away and the inset day would be a perfect and rare oppotunity to visit her.

If I know beforehand that I won't be required to work, is it ok for me to make my own plans for that day or do the parents have the right (as they are paying me) to call upon my services at the last minute and expect me to be available ?

Thanks

My contracts require notice from parents if they need me or not. This is so I can plan outings, meals, etc. If you actually want the day off you should really book it.

As a parent, if I was paying you as available to work, I'd expo t you to be around.
If you want to take the day off to see your friend you should book it, or agree 1/2pay maybe

Hi we are childminders from Manchester city centre and Withington.

Clients not showing up is not the same as a booked holiday or a day off. The term we use in the register is "Child absent" for witch you should be paid the full fee as stated in your contract.

You may still have associated work to do and absent children can be just whats needed to complete some overdue bits and pieces especially if you have 6 children like we do.

Side note:
Should push come to shove the great thing about us childminders and our clients is that we can do favours for each other such as change days around.

More to the point in a situation like yours it's always professional to show 'willingness' to provide the service.

As long as you have been informed that your service is not required then in theory you could visit a friend as long as you were willing to turn back immediately upon recieving a last minute call from a client in need. This attitude shows willingness and is reasonable.

We have been in the same situation but our client has always been considerate enough to let us know of her change of mind or circumstances the night before.

Funny enough we have an Inset day today, all my parents bar 1 are having the day off!
The 1 who will be here goes to a diffrent school.
I've charged them for their normal hours because after all Im still avilable to work.
And I was quite happy to have them all, all day.

if they all say they dont need you then of course you can go to your friends. I get paid to work until 6 but if all my kids get picked up at 5 then I dont make myself available for the next hour just in case the ydecide to come back, thats daft. Obviously if they say they need you before the day and you are being paid for it then you do it, but if they ring you up half way through the day then you say well I have made other arrangements around the other chldren now (they dont need to know you are at a friends afer all)

I would expect my CM to be available for usual hours (after school) in that situation to be honest. It could be that parents work from home but then use the usual CM hours to go into office or similar.

If you want day off you could book it off, or you could ask parents what they plan to do - if they all say they wont be sending their children to you then visiting your friend would be OK - if any contacted you at the last min to ask to drop child off you would have to say 'sorry, as per our conversation on XX when you told me you would not be needing me for care of XX I have since made other plans and am therefore not available'.

I'd ask what they're planning to do...

We just had an inset day and my CM did the full day as if it was a school holiday - most of the usual kids were there.