Childminder closed, asking for £ and I still need childcare

[Zariyah]

I love the childminder. She provides a lovely setting for my daughter. I understand her position, I am not criticising her but I’m worried. The setting is closed, even to children of key workers.

I am a single parent, frontline worker and I need childcare. I have nobody else to look after my baby. My job cannot be done from home.

She is requesting 80% pay whilst closed but I cannot afford to pay her that and an alternative childcare provider.

What on earth do I do?

OP, the contract with your childminder is impossible to perform and depending on the wording is potentially at an end. The government has enacted a self-employment Income Support Scheme and your childminder can receive payments under that scheme for lost income.

However, check the wording of your contract as the government has not said childcare providers should not be paid.

I don't think she's necessarily being unreasonable to ask, but it's also not unreasonable for OP not to pay when she also can't afford it. In an ideal world we would all have enough money to keep paying people who provide services we use even when they aren't providing them but that's obviously not the case.

There is financial help for her coming soon so it's a short-term issue, so even if she asked for the 80% now and then it could be redeemed in full or at least partially when she reopens or something it might be better. That would give her cash flow but then the June payment will be backdated and allow her to use that money to offset the fees at a later date. That's what some of the childcare providers here are doing.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/how-citizens-advice-works/citizens-advice-consumer-work/the-consumer-rights-act-2015/

If she's not earned much over the last three years then that's irrelevant though. That's just what she earns What's that got to do with anything?

Thanks!

I’m willing to pay 4 weeks notice. I’m willing to pay a retainer too, as long as it’s reasonable.
She’s not in isolation/shielding but has asthma, although says it isn’t severe. I appreciate her concerns.
I know there are other childminders around with availability. Money was my issue.

@esjee

Agree it’s too much to pay but disagree with the disgusting way people are calling hardworking low paid childminders ‘money grabbing’.

Does the childminder know you’re using someone else OP?

My childminder didn’t ask me for anything but was in tears I collected DD last day and as I’m being paid full whack I’ll be paying her full whack too as I’d like to help her stay open.

Self employed childminders won’t be getting an awful lot even wih 80% grant.

@fruitpastille

The childminder has said she is closed, not the OP taking her child away.

She’s not greedy or money grabbing at all and I’d prefer to use her for the long term. I appreciate she’s minimising risks to herself also. I think she’s asking a bit too much from someone like me who needs childcare.

See photo about consumer act 2015 and provision of services

How would self-employed childminders not get a lot if they're claiming the 80% sorrelli? 80% of earnings is a fair bit. In fact it's most of their usual income.

@BlueBirdGreenFence

It depends on what they’ve earned, usually it’s not much compared to usual earnings. So even if it’s 80% it’s still 80% of quite a low amount in a lot of cases.

So she’s refusing to have your child even though you’re a key worker and it’s legal? How do your payments usually work for her holidays and her sickness?

Ideally you need to talk it through and come to an agreement. I understand she’s trying to protect her own income but your wallet isn’t bottomless, particularly as you still need to fund alternative childcare. I would point out that there will be an end to this and it would be mutually beneficial to both working towards the same outcome.

She may be thinking she can fill your space ASAP when this is over but that isn’t immediately guaranteed given the amount of jobs likely gone for good.

Agree it’s too much to pay but disagree with the disgusting way people are calling hardworking low paid childminders ‘money grabbing’.

Asking 80% of normal fees when you’ve closed your setting and refusing to take a very worried front line worker’s child is grabby. Especially in light of the government income support scheme. On no planet is it a reasonable request. If you think that’s a “disgusting” thing to say then you need to recalibrate your scale of human decency.

I value childcare workers as much as anyone else, but that doesn’t mean CMs are exempt from making unreasonable requests from their mindees parents.

A lot of childminders are due to be closing down after this, they earn little, are entitled to no sick pay or holiday pay, work long hours doing a taxing job for little return or respect so I wouldn’t be surprised.

How is what they usually earn different from their average earnings? Surely 80% from the Government should be the equivalent of 80% from the parent?

@TerribleCustomerCervix

I’ve agreed it’s too much. But I can see why CM would try especially if she’s trying to keep her business afloat and is expecting not much from the grant and will find it hard to keep a business open on £94 in the meantime.

@BlueBirdGreenFence
There’s a lot you’re not taking into account here: do you know the CM’s earnings over the last three years was good or am I missing something?

You don’t know how long she’s worked with the OP, how many contracts she’s had, how many gaps of employment she may have had?

80% is good if you earned well but stop assuming everyone does.

OP you could say also that commuting to 80% when you don’t know when she’ll re-open would be risky.

Offer her a small retainer if you’re having to pay someone else (if you can) and let her decide to take it or leave it, I’m sure she won’t want to lose you if you’re usually good to work with.

I can see why too sorrelli and I can understand she probably asked OP in a panic, but it doesn’t mean that was right or fair.

She’s put OP in a horrible position when a suggestion of say 30% would be possible instead of a nonnegotiable 80%z

@terriblecustomercervix

Totally agree with you on that. Seems fair

She has CHOSEN to close. She’s permitted to still care for children of key workers but she’s chosen not to. So if she’s chosen to close her business then she can’t ask you to pay for her decision. If she’d been forced to close that would be different - but she hasn’t.

@Sorelli have you thought from your little virtue-signalling bubble that not everybody has the money to support childminders right now, as OP clearly stated? Everyone gets your point of view, God knows you've taken over the thread forcing it down everyone's throats, it doesn't mean anyone has to agree with you or is rich enough to do what you're doing.
There are starving children in India right now, too, but people haven't got the money to sort them out either.

OP Id advise her No, she can reclaim her 80% they way any other self-employed person pays.

She is calling your bluff... if she has acute asthma then she would have an NHS letter and would need to self isolate for 12 weeks... she should have insurance for this situation.

i'd personnaly find another childminder.

OP - I don't agree with those PPs saying pay 100% and give 4 weeks notice without even seeing the contract.

I would say that the contract will have been written based on the assumption the child minder is continuing to provide the service and you are choosing to withdraw hence should carry on paying during the notice period. If you are saying the child minder has refused to carry on caring for your child when they could legally carry on given you are a key worker (sorry if I've misunderstood), it might be helpful for you to begin to think of the situation as them refusing to provide the service for which you have been paying. In normal times this would be towards being in breach of the contract (though I expect it will have provision if they are ill and suchlike) but would you pay the notice period when you were not at fault then pay again for child care with another child minder? It might be understandable if they need to isolate or shield but, in the circumstances, it might not be helpful (fair or contractually required) for you to have to pay 100% of a new childminder's fees and pay a retainer of 80% or a termination period of 100% for 4 weeks. These are unprecedented times but have a think and you might not want to follow PPs advice saying just to pay this, I expect not every one of them would pay twice for the old and new child minder. I hope things work out for you soon.