Changing or adding to the terms of contract

[mogs0]

I have a few niggles with the terms of contract that I'd like to change with all mindees.

Any suggestions as to how I could do this? Should I add an extra sheet to the existing contract or draw up new contracts?

Also, I'd like the changes to take effect from April to coincide with the start of the new tax year, would three months be enough notice?

I'm sure I had more things I wanted advice on but can't think at the moment.

Does the existing contract specifically allow you to change the terms? If so, you need to follow whatever it says (e.g. 'the childminder reserves the right to amend any of the terms or conditions of this contract by giving not less than three months notice of the change').

If not, do your contracts have an end date so that they need to be renewed periodically? If so you can introduce changes then.

Otherwise you will have to approach this sensitively - some parents may not like the changes you are proposing and may argue against them, or even give you notice (which they are of course entitled to do). Three months is plenty of notice, as long as it is more than parents' notice periods.

As you will have to draw up new contracts anyway (for new mindees) it is probably best to get all the parents to sign new contracts (unless the changes are small and do not cause any confusion when read alongside the original contract - but if that was the case you probably wouldn't be bothering anyway). If you draw up a list of amendements you will still need to get each parent to sign a copy.

You might like to think about how much detail you put in the contract to avoid any more changes - for instance some childminders put details of procedures in case of a mindee's illness in the contract: this can just as well go in a policy document which you can change (and give to parents) from time to time without amending the contract.

Finally, when do you put your prices up? It is probably a good idea to give notice of that at the same time as the contract changes.

I should have said first of all that you should think hard about what you are planning to change. If you are having problems with certain parents, you might find that writing things into a contract is not the best way of changing behaviours.

On the other hand if you just want to change from billing on the last day of the month to the last Friday to make weekly calculaitons easier and that sort of thing, go ahead.