Childminder is taking the piss

[Jessicamartin]

Hi. I'm a single mother doing a college course, I am on income support, I started in august I also found a childminder that seemed suitable, she asked me for £100 a week before I started college I thought I'd get this back after my course as college pay her and I thought it was a deposit to make sure everything was ok with payments. Soo. Started college first week great.. second week my childminder booked a holiday. I had to take a week off college! I missed out on work and in the salon. I haven't much family so didn't have childcare. I went back to college and for two weeks then my childminder booked a two week holiday on the same dates as my assesments in September. It is now October I have missed 3 weeks of work, clients in salon and cross unit information I was to learn in class. My teacher said it will be hard to catch up with everyone so if decided to leave. I'm soo annoyed that I trusted my childminder, i asked if I'd get the £100 back I paid out of my bennefits and she said no. I said to her I need to leave college and I'm very disappointed with her taking holidays during my college hours/days and iv failed my exam. She asked me for £280 a week for 4 weeks or self cert at college but she wouldn't be watching my kids. Iv told her I can't pay £280 a weeks as I only get enough money for me and kids. She wasn't having it she said she will get it one way or another! I don't want trouble. I feel like this childminder is soo money hungry it's sickening. Sometimes my son would goto my mums after school and she said that college don't need to know that as they wouldn't pay her until 6pm if they knew. Then she asked me for money every week for a toddlers group she took my daughter to.. has anyone any advice? I can't pay £280 a week and I can't goto college for 4 weeks as I haven't got childcare and tbh she doesn't deserve to get paid for 4 weeks for nothing. Hopefully I find a better childminder and reapply to college next year.

What does the contract you sign state?

P's the 4 weeks she asked me to self cert was a months notice. Or £280 a week. Even though she wouldn't be watching my kids, why would she be getting paid for doing absolutely nothing?

The contract only stated picking up and dropping off at school. Nothing about her holidays during my college days

She was very out of line to take holiday with little notice, did she not tell you about this prior to you starting.
With regards to money; what does it say in your contract. If you signed and agreed to pay then you haven’t got a leg to stand on.

Hard to know without a lot more information.

I assume when you met you talked about holidays? I am a childminder and take 4 weeks a year . Parents know they are generally in the school holidays but may be the odd day I need.

I also have a month settling in period and then I get 4 weeks notice . I am not responsible for the parents situation . I can’t replace a child with no notice.

3 weeks holiday since September sounds very odd.

I also don’t know what she means asking you to self cert?

Yes what’s self cert mean?

Apart from the short notice (??) for the holidays the rest all sounds pretty standard tbh. Is all this not in the contract? 4 weeks paid notice is pretty standard and if a child is picked up early or is elsewhere then it is still usually due to be paid. She’s correct that the college won’t pay it if they knew your lo wasn’t there but this would mean that you would be liable for the costs. This all depends on the contract you have (I would imagine that the £100 would be explained in there too) so take a look there

I have the contract here. It doesn't mention anything about the £100 or anything else apart from pick up and drop off. Snack fees. Signatures that's it. So she's still to get paid for 4 weeks even though I wouldn't be at college and she wouldn't be watching my kids? Self cert means if I'm off college I click a button to get my attendance back up to 100% but only get 5 self certs. She told me not to tell college I was leaving so she would still be getting paid even though I wasn't there. That's fraud. I'm not doing that.

I can see what you mean about fraud BUT if the college don’t pay it YOU will have to. Sounds like she’s trying to help you even if it is a bit unprofessional and/or wrong.

Right so are the college paying towards your childcare costs?
You need to provide her with a notice period and this must be paid for.
If this isn’t written into the contract then she is a fool and you don’t need to pay. But if you have signed agreeing to a four week notice period then this must be paid, regardless if she is looking after the children still or not. If you don’t pay it you could find that she goes down the legal route.

Re read the contract all the way through.
Notify your college that she is no longer caring for your children.

Also she told me the stag was a week holiday when I first met her which was fine. It Was a week off on my second week at college. I did not know she would take two weeks off in September same time as my first exam until I seen on her fb that she was going abroad for two weeks in 7 days time... I panicked. I didn't know.. I really think I'm in the right here. As does my tutors and colleagues

But yes a usual childminder contract will include a notice period and this is generally 4 weeks. You should be able to send your children though

You may well be in the right but if you have signed a contract agreeing to a notice period then you have to adhere to this or find yourself in legal troubles.

Are you on care to learn ? If so did you sign 2 separate contracts? Is this her own drawn up contract?
Is she a new childminder?

Did she want you to self cert for her holidays ?

I would suggest you call who is financing your fees

Is there anything in your contract about how to end the contract, notice periods etc?

It's hard for anyone to say without the contract. 4 weeks notice is fairly normal. The contract would also say how much notice she should give for holidays. Was she able to recommend another childminder to cover her holidays? Some Childminders don't take holiday in term time, but others do. I always discuss this when signing people up.

It's a shame about your course, but don't get yourself taken through the courts for the notice payment (if it's due). It would wreck your credit rating.

The notice does say 4 weeks. I'm so angry for her not telling me at the start she would be taking a 2 week holiday in September, if I knew this I wouldn't have went with her. The college pay her. I don't as I'm on income support. She didn't give me a notice about the two week holiday I seen that on a fb post days before she was going. It's just not fair that I failed because she was on holiday while she was supposed to watch my kids for me to pass my exam. I also paid her retainer fees out of my own money a week before we started and that was a waste. I started college 27th Aug and iv been absent a lot due to her. While she still gets paid. Not fair! I was trying my best. All that work for nothing.

It is wrong that you had to find out about her holiday from her Facebook status. Are you friends with this childminder? Or just friends on Facebook?

However as much as it’s going to be difficult you are legally obligated to pay the four weeks notice period. You could take your children to her for these four weeks though.

I'm only friends with her on fb. I'm going to goto citizens advice. I don't even get £280 a week to live off never mind pay someone who let me down.

Have you actually left college yet . It may actually help you out of a spot to give her notice and continue college

No I haven't left yet. I have said to college about this though. I'm not sure if I could goto college for 4 weeks until she's paid. I'm far behind she's also booked another holiday in December.

Tbh she isn't someone you can rely on if she's going off on holiday every other month. Did you check whether she was fully ofsted registered etc? I can't imagine anyone keeping clients when she's unavailable for weeks and weeks in term time!

I'd take a view to her breaching the contract by not providing adequate notification of her holidays and thus dissolving the contract so you will not be paying.

But def go to Citizens Advice.

Would college allow you to start afresh in January if thry have a second enrolment?

My contracts specify 4 weeks notice of holiday. Does yours have anything like that?

What is notice period for her going on holiday, you found out on Facebook 7 days before she was going, that's not her telling you, she's asked you to act fraudulently.... I'll place my bets on who has the upper hand here and it's not her!