Today a District Court Judge in a small claims court told me "The payment in advance clause in my NCMA contract was unfair and parents should not pay in advance because after they have paid the childminder might not turn up" !

:panic: But it is okay for us to work for a month and then the parent not pay us at the end!

What was your reply to the judge? Was your case in relation to getting back money from a parent or something else personal to you?

i take it the judge doesn't understand the role Of a Childminder by his statement "if we don't turn up". What does he think we may do? Leave our home and do a runner with the money. :panic:

:rolleyes: I would have asked the judge whether he thought it was any of his business!

We are not the only profession that ask for payment in advance, sorry but he's an idiot!! The reason we ask for it in advance is because we have to, we can't trust parents not to spend the tax credits that belong to us grrrrrrr!!!!

If you use NCMA contracts why did you have to go to a county court to get money? - wouldn't the NCMA solicitors represent you and surely a contract is legal and binding? - the parents shouldn't have signed it if they didn't agree with what it said. You have to pay a deposit or up front for most things in this world, why should the services of a registered childminder be any different!

Hope you get it sorted soon