Help Please!

[NannyPlumIsMyMum]

If you need to cancel your childminder - do you still get charged? Full price or some of the cost?
What notice do you need to give ?
If you are a childminder - what do you think is fair?

I pay the childminder monthly - do you think a months notice would be fair ?

Have you not got a contract. The terms will be clearly stated re. notice period.
Most people I know have 1 month notice.

No - she hasn't given me the contract yet.
Basically I have a chronic illness, I'm registered disabled.
I get self directed support from social services to support me in my parenting .
Part of that budget I use for a childminder about 5 days a month so that I can pace myself with my DC.

cM says if I cancel then I still have to pay.

Although, if she didn't charge me then I would make sure she wasn't out of pocket by swapping the day.

Then neither of us would miss out .

At the minute if I cancel then my self directed support goes down the drain .

I am very understanding btw that's it her living ,but I think there is a better solution for both of us.

I just want to know what people think is reasonable .

I would still charge too I'm afraid. The childminder will have allocated that time to you and since we can only have a small number of children at one time them they will have to turn away other enquiries for the time which you have asked her to reserve for you.

How long have you been with her? A contract should be signed before you take up her services - so theoretically if there's no contract she's uninsured whilst caring for your children - but also nothing she can do regarding charging you if there's no contract in place.

If I had a contract in place then I'd charge too. If there was no contract, I'd cross my fingers and hope you paid.

fliss she's only started recently- she has my 2 , plus another 2

I should get her to sort the contract shouldn't I .

I think out of good will she could maybe have agreed to swap the day in absence if their being a contract .

I think I will also suggest that a months notice is fair warning.

I'm not clear if you mean cancelling one of the 5 days you have booked or stopping using the childminder alltogether.

If cancelling one day this month but wanting usual days next month, then yes still payable as it's been booked.
Swapping to a different day may or may not be possible as will depend on the childminders other commitments.

I think I'm just because she hasn't got the contract together yet ( this is my second month with her ).

I would have got you to sign a contract before you started and I'm afraid I would charge you and may not be able to swap a day, due to committments to other children.

If she has 2+2 children not in full time school, then she should have a variation from Ofsted (but maybe one or more is at school?).

If you don't have a contract, I don't see how she can insist on charging you, because you have never agreed to that (unless you agreed verbally).

Exactly.

A contract should be signed before care starts as she's not insured without one. I wouldn't do a couple of hours without one, never mind a couple of weeks or months.

Without it, she hasn't got a leg to stand on if you withdraw your custom without notice.

I wouldn't swap days either and I would charge regardless of how much notice I got. Unless you have an ad hoc contract?

You need to get the contract sorted out so that you both know where you stand.

I have had contracts where the days were variable, others where the parents paid for every day whether they used them or not and others where the parents used and paid for term time days only. I agreed the format with the parents and detailed it on the contracts before I started caring for the child so that we all knew exactly where we stood.

Have you seen this childminder's insurance and registration certificates? She is risking sanctions from Ofsted if she is registered and they discover she does not have contracts in place.

I think it is fair to be expected to pay for any days you have agreed in advance because she may have turned away other work for those days.

Just rang NCMA, lady there seem to think If Ofsted found out there was no contract, the childminder risks a vist from them to make sure all is in place ie that she is indeed a Ofsted Registered Childminder, Public Liability insurance, First Aid, EYFS is in place etc

Contract HAS to be decided and signed BEFORE care starts taking place. Worrying!

Re cancelling days (whether due to you/your child's illness/holiday)... I would still charge you as your children are taking a space, whether they are actually there or not. I can not run my business as a drop in centre.