Advice

[emz31]

Im in need of some advice...iv got a parent who wants me to have their child for 2 hrs in the morning till 9am when I take him nursery...should I charge different for before and after school with it only being 2hrs in the morning.

[Rick]

If you can't fill the rest of the day I wouldn't be taking them on. If you can then I would just charge my hourly rate.

[moggy]

I'd be asking myself these questions to decide how to charge...

How many days a week? Is this actually worth doing at all for so few hours? It is still EYFS so paperwork needed.
Is this a nursery I am going to anyway on these days? Is it causing me any inconvenience?
7am is a very early start- before 8am is 'unsociable hours' for me and double fees.
Breakfast- needed? included?
Can I fill rest of the day from the time I get back from nursery-drop-off? Am I blocking a whole day/whole morning by doing this?

Based on all that, personally I would be saying 'no', I would not do it at all. But, if you want to do it I would be looking at a higher than normal fee.

[AliceK]

I would be thinking that I could potentially be blocking a valuable EY's space for the sake of an hour or so in the morning. If someone else came along that needed care say from 8am you may have to turn them down as this 1 child is taking up that space until 9am.
Personally for the inconvenience and potential money loser I probably wouldn't do it.

xxxx

[Rubybubbles]

See I did do a child 6:30-9 3-7taking an early years space at preschool the rest of time. It worked out well for me as I also had funded children in the middle hours! I made quiet a bit o money at the time due to unsocial hours. But now, I wouldn't do it! I was doing so many LJs or part time children all over the place!

Now I have 2 full timers and 1 part timer (20hours) an it's perfect!

[bunyip]

I do a rate for before and after school, and a separate rate for before or after school. I'd use whichever of these apply, whether it was an EY child or a schoolie.

If it were going to block an EY space, then I'd probably turn it down, and only offer the parent a higher fee in consideration of this as a last resort if they were really insisting they wanted me at any price. Tbf, I think too many CMs jump on the "your child is blocking a space" far too readily and without ever having made much effort to fill those gaps. A lot of parents will happily take morning only, afternoon only, etc. and I'm operating very successfully on that basis. Offering funded spaces/sessions helps a lot, as does fitting in with grandparents to do 'shared care'.

It's just as easy to say that 6 schoolies will block all your EY places, just as much as taking 3 EY children to nursery. But I don't see CMs trying to charge parents a full-day fee for doing school runs.

[emz31]

I'm really confused..I recieved my contracts from michel Morton and one of the parents are saying I need a disclaimer??? Can some one help me because I don't think I have that in my contracts.

[Kiddleywinks]

A disclaimer regarding what exactly?

I also tread carefully with any parent that tries to tell me how my business should be run or thinks they know more about my business than me, the person that puts the stuff in place

[emz31]

Not sure exactly...it was the mum who told me that dad said I need a disclaimer with my contracts....I'm a bit annoyed really...makes me feel like I don't know how to run my business.i thought that came under terms and conditions.

[Kiddleywinks]

You need no such thing unless you have agreed to do something different within your contracts, policies or procedures, specifically for this one parent.... Have you?

Disclaimer formal meaning: a formal statement saying that you are not legally responsible for something, such as the information given in a book or on the internet, or that you have no direct involvement in it
Disclaimer specialized law: a formal statement giving up your legal claim to something or ending your connection with it

I'd be making it very, very, simple:
These are my policies, these are my procedures, this is my contract, take it or leave it, thank you

[bunyip]

Really need to know what the disclaimer would be to cover before we could make any sense of dad's 2nd hand comment. Is he fluent in Fake Legalese, or this his first attempt at talking b0ll0ck5?

Who is disclaiming what? Maybe they're trying to disclaim any responsibility for paying you? Can't see why else a client would be wanting to see a disclaimer.

The only really effective disclaimers are already written into contracts as Ts&Cs.

Most attempts at disclaimers are similar to the sort of things they put up in cloakrooms about not accepting liability for loss or damage, etc. - and quite frankly they are absolutely meaningless. You cannot simply write a disclaimer to absolve someone of responsibility for something they are legally or contractually, .......er.............well............... responsible for.

Weird. Take care.

[emz31]

I'm going to make an appointment to speak with both parents in regards to this. His wife's words were I need to have a disclaimer....as he deals with contracts all the time..but he isn't in the same business as me and all contracts are different. They simple know that if they don't sign the contract or agree with my policies and procedures then I can't take their child on.

[Kiddleywinks]

Being totally nosy, I would love to know what it is Dad wants disclaiming

[emz31]

Mum came to pick up son tonight..and basically said that she'd spoke to dad and he said it was regarding child protection and data protection and how they didn't want anything disclosing on their son...I thought well you need to read my policies and procedures which basically states every thing they tell me in regards to Their son is confidential and if I suspected anything I thought wasn't right then I'd speak to the relevant people. And also says on the contract that i abide by the Data protection act 1998 and all the requirements.

[emz31]

Ok so I got a clearer picture of what the dad meant...and it turns out he didn't say disclaimer it was a mutual non-disclosure agreement that he feels I need to enter in to with them has he said that a lot of the things on the contract were missing...which in my eyes wasn't true...one was confidentiality

[bunyip]

Being totally nosy, I would love to know what it is Dad wants disclaiming

Maybe he wants to disclaim responsibility for the child.

Maybe it's not his. Does he have the milkman's eyes?

Suggest you request DNA check.

Please refer to the 'Speed 3' episode of 'Father Ted' and 'The Jeremy Vile Show' for further details.

[bunyip]

Mum came to pick up son tonight..and basically said that she'd spoke to dad and he said it was regarding child protection and data protection and how they didn't want anything disclosing on their son...I thought well you need to read my policies and procedures which basically states every thing they tell me in regards to Their son is confidential and if I suspected anything I thought wasn't right then I'd speak to the relevant people. And also says on the contract that i abide by the Data protection act 1998 and all the requirements.

Still, be careful.

Taken at face value, that could be worded to say you'll not disclose safeguarding matters that you have a legal responsibility to disclose. At the very least, it might reduce your options to ask questions about a possible safeguarding concern, say, here on the forum, or with pacey or a children's centre, etc.

IIWY, I'd not sign anything that you haven't run by your own legal team first.

[Kiddleywinks]

Your policies and procedures form part of the contract, so your safeguarding policy is part of that.
The problem dad has, and I'm afraid it is his problem, is that safeguarding is not negotiable with ANY provider, be it childcare, preschool, nurseries, primary school and beyond.
It is not, nor will ever be, something that can be disclaimed.
Sooner dad gets his head around that the better x

[bunyip]

Your policies and procedures form part of the contract, so your safeguarding policy is part of that.
The problem dad has, and I'm afraid it is his problem, is that safeguarding is not negotiable with ANY provider, be it childcare, preschool, nurseries, primary school and beyond.
It is not, nor will ever be, something that can be disclaimed.
Sooner dad gets his head around that the better x

Only 9th January, but that's already a contender for Indisputable Post of the Year award.

[rickysmiths]

I have to say that Pacey Contracts have lots of holes in them. My Dad was a Contracts expert and believed in Plain English as well and for him the Pacey Contracts were far to ambiguous because they were designed to 'Fit All' and of course we are not all the same.

I have not ever seen an MM Contract but I suspect they are similar.

Now I have always customized my Pacey Contracts and highlighted and really clarified bits that I don't think are clear. I also have a very clear and simple Policy Document and a list of Permissions I require. It takes me abour 1.5 to 2 hours to sign Contracts and all the other bits with parents because I talk them through it thoroughly. One of my listed permissions is to be able to use reins when a child is walking.

As I commented in the other Thread I would not sign a Contract with them. I am surprised you have been caring for the boy with no Contract signed I would never ever do that. Contracts and paperwork are signed BEFORE any settling in and always before I have any sole care of a child. I would stop right now until you have all the correct paperwork in place if you are going to take this family on.

You may find your Public Liability Insurance is invalid if you don't have the Permissions in place because we are required to have these as a Condition of our Registration with Ofsted and we are only Insured if we are Registered with Ofsted.

You are on very shaky ground with a very odd parent be very very careful.