i dont need this stress :,( *crying*

[leeanne910]

Ok so...long story short.
Im due my first graded this week. Parent with child for afterschool only picked up late a few times so had a late collection invoice.

Mom came yesterday sour faced which i put it down to the late collection fee.

Said child behaviour is not thr best to under 5 including to my children in my care. I been also supporting mum as she beleives child being bullied at school. Child yesterday and today had time out due to being horrible to other children. Out of the 5 incidents 2 involving my child over last 2 days.

Mom was told on collection she hurt my child. Mom was bit snappy saying did u see it. I said no but they were in hearing distance amd arguing over a toy. She said so u beleive your son when u didnt see. Mom phoned at 6.30 shouting at me about it all. I said i dont have to be spoke to like that and understand shes upset but had boot been on other foot it still would have been dealt with that way. Time out of course for hurting someone. She said shes glad about ofsted coming as she has concerns. She said that she didnt think son has snack i told her what they have and offered to do feedback form she said no. Oh when i said i didnt have to be spoke to as i was by her and that its my family time now and i will discuss officialy tomorrow she shouted at me saying she pays me to care for her son and that my standards for older childfen afe terrible and that i dong have experiencd. Of which i do buy she was too busy shouting and she said shd oh shall i tell ofsted about when ur son touched my sons privates. Which i have logged and mum was there at the time and witnessed me talk to my son and time out given. She said i covered it up with the events of what was happening to my son at school as his friends was touching him....i said to mum im more than happy to talk tomorrow of which i logged the phone call for my own records. And tomorrow i have thw points mum raised and my intended actions....

Flip flop in hell i dont need this :,(

[sing-low]

Oh so sorry this has happened, especially so close to your OFSTED inspection. I don't really have any advice to give, just hugs. Sounds like you're doing all the right things in dreadful circumstances. I'm sure OFSTED are used to parents who are cross over fees.

[shortstuff]

please dont let this get you so upset, i think if i have understood you correctly that mum might have just found out her LO isnt the victim of bullying but may be the bully themselves? have i understood you correctly? if this is the case she is trying to find someone to blame.

If i have misunderstood then i apologise and would welcome being corrected x

[Allie]

So sorry you have had this, if it happened to me i would terminate contract with immediate effect as I would not be bullied by a parent then tomorrow i would ring ofsted and tell them to expect a complaint and then i would ring pacey or who ever you are with and get help. Sending a big hug, you do not need to put up with this there are great parents out there who would love your childcare service

[leeanne910]

Child is being bullied at school mum suspects but school dont think he is....now im starting to beleive them.

Mum admited she took me on cuz i was cheaper than last childminder. Which makes me feel not good enough anyway.

Ive been so supportive and gave advice to mum in regards to school as im trained in bullying awareness and parent advice from previous role. Mom was all my best buddy till monday came.

I have wrote down telephone call and put pen to paper all tge points raised and how i will action them and raise awareness that i have a duty to care for all childrens well being and that of my own too. I also have put to ask mum how long she has had these concerns and why only now she has voiced them. I also have put that we meet in a week to discuss how we feel. All dusscussion will be wrote and signed by both and copy each. In a week if she is un happy i will offer her official complaint....is that right. I want to resolve the issue as i dont like bad thing happening. But also want to be professional and not grovel as their account is hardly wprth it....i feel id rather give mum a chance and know where i stand before notice with immediate effect.... i dunno.... my heads swimmin

[sarah707]

It is important that you document each allegation separately and deal with them as individual incidents.

They are allegations - you do know that don't you? If mum makes them to Ofsted - especially the child safeguarding one - there could be serious consequences.

You say you want to continue supporting the family but I do think you need to put yourself and your family first and get some advice. It sounds very much to me as if you are being bullied - and that's not a good basis for a relationship.

Hugs x

[leeanne910]

sorry sarah i prob being dumb, do i need to deal with the allegations seperate? so for example the "is my son getting snack" one the "your child touching my child" and the fact that her son has said to mum i never see these incidents? i dont really know wht to do :( i was going to chat with mum tomorrow and bring each point mum raised up tomorrow for us to talk and action..... i dont know :'( im meant to be bracing myself for ofsted but instead feel like giving up and i have never felt like this as i love it.

[leeanne910]

sarah do you think i should give notice? as sitting here stewing im thinking if she is really that unhappy then why wate our time keeping her child in my care? my partner isnt happy at all, he said its having an impact on him and my children as for 2 hours i was crying and stewing and writing and didnt bother doing tea or anything else :'(

[The Juggler]

sarah do you think i should give notice? as sitting here stewing im thinking if she is really that unhappy then why wate our time keeping her child in my care? my partner isnt happy at all, he said its having an impact on him and my children as for 2 hours i was crying and stewing and writing and didnt bother doing tea or anything else :'(

hon, then if your partner is (rightly) annoyed about her behaviour he should be supporting you making tea whilst you write the letter/reply to allegations not moaning at you :panic:

I think you should do as Sarah said, reply to each allegation in writing, giving her the chance to respond to what you have said if she needs to. Make sure you mention in your correspondence that she had not raised any of these issues with you until the day after you issued an invoice with late payment fees and you had wished she had raised them at the time of the incident so you could have dealt with them sooner. That way you have it in writing.

In addition, I personally would give her a letter and verbal warning saying that she must conduct herself courteously in your home and when speaking to you or you will give notice to terminate. If you do have to give notice and she continues being bullying towards you you should be able to warn her (in writing) that she conducts herself properly during notice period or you will terminate with immediate effect (just check with your insurer first before doing this though).

sending a hug.

[clareelizabeth1]

I think your last post answered your question for you. It is definitely time to give notice. It is not right for you or your family if its making you cry for two hours.

Sending hugs.

[leeanne910]

Has anyone any example of what to write. I wanna get it right n not make things worse... also do i just hand the letter or discuss it with mum? Do i say what actions i will make from these allegations? Eg...does he have snack... i will now on do a feedback form to be signed by mum? Ive never had to do anythin like this in 10yrs experience i have in childcare settings.

[Amandak28]

Oh you poor lady! :-( Big hugs hun :-)

Reading all what you have said and the advise you have been given i agree that you should give notice.
You cant allow this behaviour to go on. Its not just not fair on you and your family.

Good luck and keep us posted xx

[Kiddleywinks]

So sorry you're having these difficulties, and sadly, whilst I don't wish to burden you more, I don't think you'll be able to do right for doing wrong if the parent is feeling particularly aggrieved with you, so be prepared that any response to her complaints may not calm the waters as much as you may hope :group hug:

That said, I agree with Sarah. You need to approach this professionally and respond formally to the issues she has raised verbally with you.
If possible try not to respond in depth overnight, particularly whilst you are still upset, and emotional.

Get your policies out and check your own procedure for dealing with a complaint, in particular, the timeframe you set.

Personally, I would respond with a letter acknowledging her verbal complaints (maybe bullet point them so you don't need to go into detail immediately) and request that if she has any other issues at this time, to please put them in writing so that you can investigate them fully.
With regard to the verbal complaints raised, you will respond in writing by xx date/no later than xx date (check your complaints procedure)

This will buy you a little more time to gather your thoughts, and be able to respond professionally rather than emotionally.

With regard to your impending inspection, so long as you are dealing with it, I can't see that ofsted are able to intervene at this point (you've only just received the complaint yourself!).

Sorry if that's not much help, but it is what I would do if it was me
Try and get some rest, for you and your families sake x

[littlemiss60561]

Nothing more to add than has already been said, other than a big hug and to say thinking of you x

[LauraS]

I don't have anything to add either, other than my support. Big hugs xx

[jellybellys]

Ooh parents like this are a pain in the ass. She clearly doesn't like being told her kid is naughty. I had one who always said her child was tired When i told her she had been given time out/been spiteful. Blaming you is her way of shirking responsibility. Uve done right to log everything. Sounds like ur dealing with the children appropriately. So what if u were cheaper than the last that doesn't make u a bad childminder and tell her if she feels that strongly then she needs to put it in writing to ofsted or call them and log a complaint. She sounds like a typical aggressive parent who is fine until things no longer go their way and they get nasty. It mayb they feel inadequate as a parent but that doesn't mean they need to be horrid. I had one who was totally fine and happy but flipped out at me when I gave her a higher than usual bill due to extra hours. Had a right go at me saying all sorts of stuff. So I saved all the messages on my pc. Logged it in the diary. Nothing ever came of it except I no longer have her as a client.
Don't be bullied by her, be confident, professional, stick to ur policies and put it down to experience.

[jellybellys]

Keep it simple n straight to the point, write that you acknowledge her complaint and include the number for ofsted in it somewhere. Say you feel that it is not working for either of you and you are terminating the contract by giving notice of x amount of weeks as per the contract. Keep a copy and be prepared for a bit of backlash just incase they get crappy. I've never had backlash from something like this but be prepared just in case, there's always one.

[munch149]

Something similar happened to me. I contacted ncma and childminding support workers for advice. It was over money and I kept all emails, and logged all texts and phone calls.

I regards to letter write each complaint and how you will deal with them. Post it so you have a receipt of date sent

[mrs robbie williams]

:mad: personally id give notice with immediate effect on the grounds of her behaviour id write the letter today give it to her at pick up with the childs last day with you on the letter get his bits ready to give back on that day and cut your losses - this job is bad enough with the paperwork pressure let alone horrible parents :mad:

[CLL]

I agree, your relationship with this woman has broken down and you should terminate the contract. However the timing is awful. If you terminate the contract before investigating all of her complaints it might look like you are trying to just get rid of her quickly. However if I was you I would take my chances you are going to do it after Ofsted have been anyway so do it now to save more stress. I would not even have child today if parent spoke to me like that. I would have termination letter to hand this morning, if she is anything but nice I wouldn't have child through the door. I would say unfortunately our relationship has broken down and I am no longer able to offer care to x as of immediate effect. Hand her letter and his belongings. Remember do not get emotional and do not apologise. Just say you have enjoyed looking after him but unfortunately you can no longer. Tell her you will post her a formal letter following your policies about her complaints raised. Good luck.

[leeanne910]

Can i give notice with immediate effect though?

[Kiddleywinks]

What does your contract and your policy say?

I would think you would also need to deal with the complaint anyway as it has been made verbally

[madredann]

Hi
my advice would be to try and sort the issues following the complaints procedure - as others have said verbal and written get her to write down the complaints and then try to sort them out between you- if you cant then Ofsted may get involved if she complains to them. Once things are documented and you get to a point where you can do no more I would terminate the contract I couldnt work with parents like this always worrying what they will say next but you may feel more accomplished that you have tried to sort the problems IYSWIM I dont think you can terminate and not deal with the complaints BUT there are 2 issues here the complaints and the way mum has behaved which is a breach of the contract in my eyes maybe get advice from PACEY or alternative and take it from there dont rush into it xx

[VeggieSausage]

f I was you I would:

1. Write down absolutely everything that has happened and been said.
2. Contact your DO and ask for immediate and urgent advice - they will be able to give advice on protocol etc
3. Check your policies and see what you have stated you will do in the event of a complaint and you will need to carry through with that - if she goes and makes a complaint to Ofsted then you must make sure you have done everything according to what you should do.
4. Do you do a daily diary which outlines what the child has eaten for the day?
5. I would then after getting advice write a formal letter in response to each complaint and make this very formal, it is totally unacceptable to talk to you in the way she has but you need to make sure you have logged everything, be professional...

Very stressful for you, let us know what happens.....

[madredann]

http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/freeresources/Free%20downloads/Resources/Complaints%20record.pdf

above is the link to the complaints form that may be of help to you if you havent got one xx

[MiniKins]

I understand how helpless this situation may seem and can only agree with the advice given here already to terminate your contract as it sounds like your relationship with this parent has broken down beyond repair.

The only thing I might add is get your other parents to write letters of support saying how happy they are and the particular aspects they enjoy with regard to your service.

Read them through several times and they will give you the strength you need to deal with this unpleasant situation and the kind words may temper your tears and bring out a smile.

Remind yourself that her behaviour and allegations are unfounded and any sensible inspector with any degree of experience will have come across this situation before and will know exactly what is going on.

And, by the way, tell your man that you need his support through this (we're sometimes not the most empathetic or understanding of creatures but we can be pretty compassionate in a crisis).

[Goatgirl]

Can i give notice with immediate effect though?

Hi, so sorry that you're in this horrible situation. And in an already stressful week if Ofsted are inspecting!

This woman has verbally abused you and made false accusations concerning the safeguarding of children in your care. I have the NCMA (now Pacey?) contracts and there is a clause listing reasons for immediate termination of contract, but it also states this is not exhaustive. Personaly I would terminate right now. I would be very worried about caring any further for a child who seems to be lying about events in your care and has a Mother whose own emotional behaviour seems to support this. WHo knows what else you could be accused of by the end of a notice period?! :panic:

I would write the accusations down in list form, call her bluff by saying that you have of course informed Ofsted and also list the reasons/evidence of why they are simply not true.
I would attach a Termination letter (2/3 copies of everything by the way: one for you; one for ofsted; one for her). This would say something simple like:

Dear Mrs x,
Due to a breakdown of trust it is with regret that I feel I must terminate our contract with immediate notice. The final date of care was x/x/x payments due are £xx.xx due on x/x/x. (or I will refund £xx.xx by x/x/x)
Please see attached document which addresses the concerns you raised in our telephone conversation of x/x/x at x o clock...

I hope you manage to deal with this professionally and without any more emotional stress from this particular family. Very sad :(. :group hug:

[pipandbaz]

Goodness me :-( that's awful big hug to you. Excellent advice already given. Xxx it becomes so personal when things go wrong a horrible part to the job :-(

[leeanne910]

I am really confused now. I cant see anything in contracts about immediate effect notice other than settle in period. (Mm)

I have logged phone call and just wrote on my complaints form to go through with parent. It has a section for what happened. So i put that after parent was informed of childs behaviour parent called outside working and contracted hours and all the allegations and and a part about how it was dealt with so things i said such as sugested food diary which she refused and that children are treated equally and that an appointment to discuss concerns was made and parent refused i also put that the call was logged.

There is then a bit about outcomes so all her concerns ive noted and next to then action points i will act on.

I will talk through with mum and both of us are to sign and copies for us both and one for ofsted.

Am i right in thinking before i gove notice i need to prove i action these points?

I am going to write a letter too for mum stating that following our converasation on the phone i have logged the conversation and also that i have started the complaints process. I am also going to put something along the lines of that although i am willing to accept critisism and will listen to a parent and their concerns that outside of my working hours i do not have to discuss matters as it would be appropriate to arrange a meeting to discuss and that the manner in that she spoke to me was both verbaly aggressive and intimdating and that if there are future incidents of being spoken to in sich a way i would need to terminate with immediate effect. I also want to add that i take pride in taking every child in my care and this of my own childrens well being. Maybe even add i hope we can work through this together and that things improve and if parent is still unhappy immediate effect notice can be given?

What do we think?

[leeanne910]

Aswell as this a parent owes me £325 from last week and been avoiding me :,( and another cudnt pay on time either..... im working 60 for free this week as well as ofsted stress and mean parent...... pub satursay for me :(

[Kirstylob]

Don't really has any advice other than what has already been said. Hope things get sorted in the way you want them too. Good luck and I'm going to keep checking how your doing.
Stay strong!

[madredann]

The fact that she owes you money does not go in her favour if she complains to Ofsted as it may look like she is trying to wriggle out of paying you!

[madredann]

In a seperate letter you may need to invoice her again and tell her she needs to pay ASAP or by a certain date or you will be taking action to retrieve money x

[VeggieSausage]

If you have NCMA contracts then contact their legal people regarding immediate notice....

[leeanne910]

All done...mum had letter addressin that i was concerned it had been since i had issued the invoice and also addressin how inappropriately she spoke to.me. explaining complaints procedure. Stating my ethos on treating children equal. And stating that if she is unhappy after the complaints been actioned i will accept notice of immediatrle effect n sayin i hope we work things out for our working relationship for both child in concern and also our own peace of mind. I then talked through complaints form and actions. She wanted to take it home before she signed it. But she appoligised to me. She said herself she was being a sumert begining with b and ending in h and she said about the incident with my own son and the touching that she bought it up to upset me. I said i still had to addrrss this in my complaints....mum went away ok and said see u friday and child gave me a hug.....so....we will see what friday brings and hope my ofsted goes ok tomorrow or friday......gah....

[Samcat]

Fingers crossed! Good luck :thumbsup:

[CLL]

I think you need to tighten up you policies and procedures. Parents should not be late paying, you run a business not a charity. I take payment in advance for the month. No payment on the 1st no care on the 2nd. Deal with this woman's complaints, terminate her contract, have a great Ofsted visit and then assess your other parents, have you been too soft and now they are taking the Micky? Send out a letter to all parents with new policies and date they are effective from and start taking back control, good luck.

We were both writing at the same time. Lol well done for standing up for yourself, feel proud.

[Kiddleywinks]

She said herself she was being a sumert begining with b and ending in h
and she said about the incident with my own son and the touching that she bought it up to upset me.

Woah! :panic:

Sorry, that sends alarm bells ringing and shivers up my spine!

She's prepared to throw that at you in, what amounts to, a hissy fit?!

Get ofsted out of the way, get her complaint dealt with, and then give serious consideration about whether you really want to have to deal with her behaviour and consequences of her temper.

[leeanne910]

It wasnt late payment it was a fee for picking child up late. Which she paid. She had been late collectin child n thoughy was ok to colect early some days. All these have been addressed in newsletters contracts policies too. X

[madredann]

Well done I hope you are feeling a bit more in control now. You should be proud of yourself that you have dealt with the situation in a brilliant way. You are now in a position to remind her who is boss if things have slipped a little re contract and then you can decide whether to terminate with it all been cleared up.

[Amandak28]

Well done! You jumped the first hurdle. Now concentrate on your inspection and then tighten up your policies and procedures if and where necessary.

Your'll come out of this much more wiser and knowledgeable :-) xxx

[madredann]

Definately the more you experience first hand the better you will become-there are lots of things you can learn in theory but it can only help prepare you for these actual situations when they happen I have had terrible times over the years with none-paying parents and threatening partners, child protection issues and disclosures and recently my emergency plan and first aid training when a child had a convulsion all terrible situations that at the time made me feel very very vulnerable but you come out the other side and you do feel much stronger and able to deal with these things xx hope you are ok and good luck with inspection x

[The Juggler]

All done...mum had letter addressin that i was concerned it had been since i had issued the invoice and also addressin how inappropriately she spoke to.me. explaining complaints procedure. Stating my ethos on treating children equal. And stating that if she is unhappy after the complaints been actioned i will accept notice of immediatrle effect n sayin i hope we work things out for our working relationship for both child in concern and also our own peace of mind. I then talked through complaints form and actions. She wanted to take it home before she signed it. But she appoligised to me. She said herself she was being a sumert begining with b and ending in h and she said about the incident with my own son and the touching that she bought it up to upset me. I said i still had to addrrss this in my complaints....mum went away ok and said see u friday and child gave me a hug.....so....we will see what friday brings and hope my ofsted goes ok tomorrow or friday......gah....

oh hon sounds like it will all blow over - with mum at least. well done for dealing with it. Hope ofsted goes well. You will probably have to discuss it with them at the inspection as they will ask about complaints. they may have some advice for you and support hopefully.

Have you got a DO or someone at the local CC - a support minder to talk to? If you still want to go ahead and give notice you can you know. You could say you feel the working relationship has broken down even if mum has had a totally turn around of attitude. Who knows when she's going to raise these issues again next time she is upset or miffed about something. If it were me I think I would.

hope you are ok.


Please PM me if you need to. xx

[Kirstylob]

Well done for standing up to her! I hope it all settles down and your inspection goes ok. Good luck in getting it all sorted. X

[leeanne910]

Thanks for all ur support... childminders r the most kind hearted of people.

Hopefilly ofsted would have been seen all the hard work i do and go away leaving me happy with their outcome... lets hope!!!

[angeldelight]

Well done Leeanne

Good luck with Ofsted now

Angel xx

[leeanne910]

Ofsted still not been. Babies r sleepin. Im sat here upset...

Said parent dropped.the complaints form back of which i signed and she refused...lesson learned parent to sign before me in future... she posted it back to me with letter to terminate and some horrible comments about me my child and my practise basically she scribbled writing all over the complaints form saying i beleive my child over hers. And that i should talk at anytime to her as it was an issue.....what do i do now? Do i leave it at that as i had actions the initial complaint....and wrote a log from last night even saying what parent said.....and now shes wrote all over the form and made more accusations saying she doesnt think children are in hearing distance and that her son said this n that.....what now :,(

[leeanne910]

She said in letter withdrawing care with immediate effect and his last day with me will be friday. Erm....i am gonna write acknoldgement letter which would be from.noe isnt it....im not collecting him friday after all this stress i think she is horrible and a bully

[Carolc]

Immediate effect says what it means. Your care is withdrawn from when she handed you the letter. Not 2 days latter. I would contact her saying you accept her termination and that your contract finished today or yesterday, whenever you got it, not Friday. And that she will be required to pay her notice period.

You are better off without her don't got upset over her concentrate on your inspection. Good luck with it Xxx

[Kirstylob]

I agree with Carolc , make sure she pays you for the full 4 week notice period- or whatever the notice period is on the contract. If she doesn't she is in breach of the contract and you need to take legal advise.

[Goatgirl]

Hi,
What a woman :angry: She is exactly what you think she is.

I would write to her politely stating that In light of her apology the other day and admitting she had only brought up certain things, only to be followed by a complete u turn and a recurrence of abuse you are more than happy to terminate the contract with immediate effect.

I wouldn't be chasing payment personally, unless I really couldn't manage without it, or I thought she would cause more trouble regardless of payment arrangements. From what you've said it does seem as though this is all about her outrage at having to pay you :rolleyes:

I know others will see this is letting her win, but I am not good under stress and for me, it would be beneficial to let her go quietly at this point. At least I would leave the financial stuff out of this final letter and wait to see if she continues causing trouble before I thought about persuing payment.......

Hope things improve for you very soon. :thumbsup: xxxx

Did Ofsted turn up? :)

[jolliesdean]

I agree with goatgirl, she or the money is not worth all the stress. Think positive you are good, you are honest and you are worth more than her and her attitude. Good luck think positive !!!!

[Kiddleywinks]

Immediate is exactly what it says - immediate in that I too would be accepting her immediate notice and no longer accepting child

Dear parent

I acknowledge receipt of your termination letter dated xx/xx/xx, and note that that you wish to withdraw your child immediately.

I confirm the last day of care for X was therefore xx/xx/xx
There is an outstanding balance of £xx.xx
4 weeks termination notice of £xx.xx (If you decide to pursue this)
Less any deposit paid £xx.xx

Total amount due by xx/xx/xx £xxx.xx

I will be following my usual complaints procedure as outlined on xx/xx/xx with regard to your comments and you will receive a letter in due course with regard to this

If you are claiming Tax Credits, you must also inform them on 0845 300 3900
It's very important to tell the Tax Credit Office about any changes in your circumstances, including a change of childcare provider, as that could affect your tax credits payments.

It has been a pleasure caring for X and I wish him well for the future




Contact your insurers asap as she is leaving with an outstanding amount due and this will need to be dealt with. On the plus side, as she is under the impression she can still leave her child with you today, her alleged concerns are surely weakened as a result.

[CLL]

Oh Hun, I hope you are feeling ok. You are right not to have anything more to do with her. I hope you had a good Ofsted visit. Take the weekend off and then on Monday night sit down with a clear head and action the rest if her complaints.

[The Juggler]

oh hon, I would let her go. you don't need this. see it as a chance to get rid asap. :)

[Petshrinklj]

Hugs Hun. She doesn't sound pleasant. Did ofsted come? Hope your doing ok.

[leeanne910]

Ofsted came. Went lovely inspector was lovely. But due to the incident with my son. Things didnt go well. Im not ready to talk bout it and not sure when i will be. Thanks for everyones support and wish i could have hugs and eveything right now and i missed my sons sports day and feel well poop

[Petshrinklj]

Oh no hugs Hun. Ready to listen whenever you ready. Hugs.

[supermumy]

Oh dear hope ur ok x

[madredann]

I am really sorry to hear that :( hugs from me too

[Amandak28]

Oh no you poor thing :-(

Here when your ready to talk.

Big hugs xxx

[shortstuff]

we are here when you are ready. Hope it went ok x

[clareelizabeth1]

Hope it didn't go to bad.


Sending hugs.

[CLL]

I hope you manage to work everything out and we are here if you need us.

[sing-low]

Hugs from me too.

[The Juggler]

oh honey. please PM someone or take advice from your DO. you need some support with this.

[VeggieSausage]

Big hugs awful situation xxx

[littlemiss60561]

((((Xxxxx)))))

[rickysmiths]

Big hugs.

It sounds as if you use the pacey Contracts.

If you do make sure you are using the 4 page Contracts and if you aren't I strongly suggest you get some and change all your parents onto them.

On page 4 there is a whole section which records the circumstances in which immediate notice can be given. One reason is if the parent or child behaves in a threatening or bullying manner towards you or your family, the exact circumstance you have written about. You can give immediate notice and they still have to pay the four weeks notice period.

[KatieFS]

Great advice from juggler. Hold firm you've done nothing wrong! Respond as per your complaints procedure. Ofsted will want to see you've dealt with the situation correctly. I don't know if I could work with that family again, but that's your choice.
Finally yes I think she is a parent at breaking point. Her little one she feels is being bullied, it's very emotional and she feel angry about that and has taken if out on you. Not acceptable at all. Chin up. X x