Have any CMs here changed their minds about taking on a child......

[Alliwantisaroomsomewhere]

.... because the hours have changed and the hours are expected to change again once the child has started?

In Dec a family came to see me to care for their child. We discussed retainers and deposits as the child was due to start in Feb. Parents decided to leave it til Jan - then asked for paperwork etc, and we agreed on a deposit which I was satisfied with.

Since giving them the paper to look at and sign and the request for deposit, they have asked to reduce the hours from 32 hours a week to 30 hours a week - no biggie but then advised that for April and May they will want to reduce it further to 15 hrs / week.

I am looking for at least 4 fullish days a week so they are not able to offer me what I was looking for. I now wish to withdraw my offer to care for their child but feel bad about doing that.

Has anyone on this forum withdrawn an offer before for similar or comparable reasons?

another thing: start date was originaly Feb but that has beenput back to March. So for March I will have 30 (and not 32 hours) then April and May 15 hours (and not 32 or even 30....)

Think my mind has been made up!!

Setting it out now has made it clearer.

sorry, am not a childminder but in your situation i don't think it would be urneasonable at all to say that you can't accept the child.

you agreed to take the child on for a set number of hours a week. they now don't want that and you are within your rights to say you don't want to go ahead with the arrangement

Thanks, Thisisyesterday. To make things a little more tricky, the family lives in my road, though I do not see them often at all. Another reason possibly not to proceed.

Besides, if she really wanted me she would have paid the deposit by now!

well quite, she sounds flaky for sure

You will be fine to say you have 4 full days and need a child that will fill those days.

It's quite lucky that they haven't paid a deposit, or anything, makes it simpler.

Difficult I know, but you will regret it if you don't do it.