About 14 months ago I began doing school runs for a friends child. She is also a child minder and at the time was caring for 2 children whose mum was terminally ill. She only cared for these 2 children and was doing more then expected of a child minder e.g taking children to visit their mum in hospice etc. She didn't want to take her own child with her so asked me to collect her 3 evenings a week. I was happy to do this and she said she would pay me for 2 hours each of those 3 evenings, whether I picked up her child or not, but just so I was there if she needed me to. The mother of these 2 children died about 8 months ago and she has continued to provide after school care for them aswell as a couple of other children. I have continued picking up her child. For the last couple of months, the hours have been erratic, she sometimes doesn't let me know until the end of the school day whether she needs her child picked up, other times she has arranged me for me to collect her and she's been invited to someones for tea and she has forgotten to tell me. Her payments were getting later and later too. Then another mum informed me that my 'friend' had asked her to start collecting her child because she couldn't really afford the cost of child care. This mum told me and I gave my 'friend' a weeks noticed. She was really put out and said that she was going to really with struggle with child care and could I continue for the week. I agreed. The following day she paid me what she owed by cheque. This was last week and today I have found that the cheque she gave me has bounced. We have no contract so I do not have a leg to stand on. I really wanted to help her out especially as at the start the situation she was in with these 2 children was so awful. She has really taken the piss and is going out of her way to avoid me. I think what annoys me the most is the fact that if I hadn't given her notice she would have continued to string me along.