Childminder sick pay

[Mumofboysboysboys]

My childminder has just created a new policy that if she or a member of her family becomes sick because of a child in her care, she will charge for the time she is off sick.
Has anyone else ever experienced this? Previously any childminder I have used has never charged if they are off sick and this was my agreement when I signed with this childminder.
Also, I don’t believe I have to agree to a policy like this after signing a contract. Would you agree?

How could she prove that her illness is caused by a child?

That seems bonkers. How is she defining a member of her family?! How can she tell where the source of the illness originated from?

Surely as a childminder you accept that you're probably going to be exposed to more germs than a lot of people (but I'm sure will develop a robust immune system!).

I wouldn't agree/sign after you have already signed contract. Also she/her family could pick up illness from anywhere surely, not necessarily your child. Hard to prove isn't it?

How ridiculous. And completely unprovable. I’d be questioning her suitability to care for my child tbh. There’s no way this can even be legal. Is she going to pay for medical testing/forensics to determine the source and spread of every illness?

Is this connected to the fact that childminders (if working a certain number of hours - like cleaners) become proper employees of you under IR35 and therefore are entitled to sick pay?

... if not then she is on a hiding to nothing in my opinion.

Ask her for a copy of her epidemiology qualifications.

That’s a good question. She’d have to disclose which child made her or her children ill and what was wrong with them, which is personal data.

Very good point, love your name 😆

Sadly this is becoming more and more standard as childminders and childcare providers on the whole are finding parents are not honest with them concerning there child’s sickness and this is to act as a deterrent to parents knowing sending there child in sick, if they think they will be charged for any sickness the childminder has and has to close. policys are changed all the time and do not needs parents authorisation or consent, if you are not happy you may need to think about changing childcare.

No, she cannot add a clause after a contract has been issued.
Just decline that amendment.

My nanny gave terms at the start of 2 weeks sick pay if she is off ill, which I was happy to agree to - but nothing related to whether my child caused it! That’s daft and would make me a bit concerned about that person to be honest. I get though that she’d be concerned about people sending kids to her without disclosing they are ill - that’s not ok but this isn’t the way to deal with it. And I’m assuming is she not just bringing this up now due to Coronavirus? Which is definitely unfair as your child could infect others without you knowing they are ill. I’d saying she’s panicking if she has to self-isolate.

She has probably recently had some families sending in children when they knew they were ill, resulting in her losing earnings when she (or a member of her family became ill). I wouldn't put this clause in a contract, because I wouldn't be able to prove it was the same illness. If I believed a parent had been deliberately sending a sick child to me, I would give them notice. Sadly this might also mean struggling to pay my bills at some point, but that's the nature of the job in my experience.

I wouldn't agree to this. How can she prove a child made her ill, and don't ust happen m to have both picked up the same bug at a similar time, madness.

What about the reverse, if your child catches a bug in her setting, is she going to reimburse you for days missed? Unlikely.

She might not be able to add a clause after contracts are signed, If you refuse to agree to the new terms, she can terminate your contract giving you the appropriate notice. There is nothing stopping her doing that if she wants to.

Could this be due to corona virus concerns and her possibly facing a prolonged period without income if she has to shut?

sounds like a parent has sent in their child with a sickness bug/ s&d possibly in the 48hrs, thus she or her child comes down with it and then needs to shut and she is out of pocket

she is protecting herself

Some do put this in as others have said because a child is sent in with a tummy bug and parents hide it. Generally it only applies to that childs family not everyone. Ask for clarification on the circumstances and to have that put in the contract if it is then agreeable. If you choose not to accept the amendment you can give notice. You should have the equivalent of a notice period for any change in contract.
It's not unusual to have a child go sick and then be told of yes they were sick yesterday it was too much food, running around, over excited, something they are or mummy said not to tell you. I would imagine this is the reason for the change and will only apply to these types of cases.

Everyone gets ill sometimes and it is always a big concern if you're self employed due to potential loss of income. I would expect unplanned sick days to be built into the existing fees.

I can understand if childminder children have a highly contagious illness like vomiting then they won't want other children around. However, covered by unexpected sick fee method.

No one is a winner in either of the above situations.

However, to pay cause of illness at feet of the mindees is ridiculous as is unprovable.

Contract wise - pp is right, minder will terminate existing contract and reissue a new one with proposed clause.

Out of interest has your minder got other childminder who can step into the breach when needed?

If I were you, I'd look for a new minder as this feels like the start of disharmony

Hmm I'm a childminder and I can see why your childminder has added this. A lot of parents will send their child in with a sick bug or whatever then the childminder catches it and loses out on money. I would have thought this extra clause would be concentrated on the family that actually made the cm sick but this will be hard to prove or enforce. Best thing to do is to have an honest chat with your cm and say how you disagree with the policy and see where you go from there. I'm sure there is room for a compromise unless of course you are the family that keeps sending their poorly child in to her lol.

The childminders I know who have these clauses have never had to use them because parents stopped sending in sick children....as in with contagious illness. If you dont intend to hide your childs illness and lie therefore endangering your child should they need emergency treatment and making everyone have time off when either the cm or their charges get sick. You shouldn't have an issue with it as no cm is allowed to care for children with d&v in the previous 48 hours or contagious illnesses

I have a lot of parents who play fast and loose with the truth in regards to their child’s health. I’m often just looking after sick kids, which in turn makes me sick.
I became really angry a couple of years ago because my sickness meant I couldn’t go and visit my mum, she was undergoing chemo at the time.
This image has been passed around the local children’s centres and I think it’s very useful