Advice on childminder charges

Hi, not really sure what to do in this situation so hoping someone can help me. I’m a first time mum, I put my daughter into a childminder when she was 1 years old as I work for the nhs and had to go back to work. I repeatedly asked childminder for invoices so I knew exactly what I should’ve been paying and could keep a note of it (I paid through tax free childcare account), but she would not give me invoices and said other parents ‘add up the bill themselves and pay it’ so that’s what I done. In my contract there was a 4 weeks notice period if I was to take any holidays or if the childminder was to, I had to still pay for both my holidays and the childminders holidays (4 weeks per year). The childminder continually kept taking holidays giving me a weeks notice at best (breaching contract) and leaving me stuck for childcare, one day she actually left me to go to the door and then told me she was on holiday.. I still had to pay her for these holidays. I pulled my daughter from her care and gave her 3 weeks notice (supposed to be 4) and I sent her a text saying I hope she can understand as she has breached contract we are only offering 3 weeks notice, she said we needed 4 and she didn’t accept this. Now 4 months after removing my daughter from her care she’s chasing me for £900 saying she’s added everything up and that’s what we’re due and she’s not accepting the notice period as she’s denying breaching her contract. This is causing me major stress as I’m worried she will take me to small claims court but I don’t think I should be paying this bill when no invoices were ever offered on her part despite me asking for the 9 months my daughter attended and she breached the contract multiple times.

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I would talk to a lawyer and then tell her she's shit out of luck bc it seems wild to me she would send you a bill 4 months later. Like no honey, we are done here. She breached your contract not the other way around.

Would talk to citizens' advice and/or a lawyer. Make sure to have all messages stored together, dated (as well as said contract). Would make sure to have a soft and hard copy. Would also make up a timeline, noting all dates and conversations you've have summarising your wish for invoices and her breaching contract. If you've paid on time every time, have bank statements outlining this too. Hopefully won't come to anything but good to be prepared and know your rights. Good luck x

Just gather up you information. You have proof of payment. Spend an afternoon calculating how much childcare she provided. How much you paid and make sure you don’t owe anything. She shouldn’t be charging for her own holidays. Find your contract. Collect all the texts she sent breaching contract. When she refused to provide invoices. Write it all down. Then take a deep breath and chill. You’ll be ready for whatever she throws at you.

She sounds awful. Also, why is she charging for her own holidays? She’s self employed so should be planning her pay accordingly. Nurseries don’t charge for the week they are closed over Christmas and new year. Please don’t worry about her pursuing this because it’s really unlikely that she will. Is it one weeks pay she’s chasing you for if you’ve given her 3 weeks notice? If it is, you could tell her that you will give it but that YOU intend on taking her to court for breaching contract and that you have all the evidence. You could also let her know that you plan on speaking to the other parents about their views on her lack of professionalism and let her know that you will be spreading the word on how you’ve been treated. Childminders rely heavily on word of mouth so she might end up leaving you alone. So sorry you’re going through this. It’s maybe a good thing though that this has happened now and you can get your child away from her. What are you doing now for childcare? X

@CMc💕 thanks so much for replying, that’s exactly what I thought I’ve never heard of someone self employed charging for holidays but supposedly a few childminders do it! I’ve moved my daughter to another childminder, my husbands friends wife who we initially wanted my daughter with but she didn’t have space at the time and she’s literally like Mary poppins, my daughter loves her, she’s cheaper and doesn’t charge for her holidays! I’m really hoping she doesn’t pursue it. She’s chasing me for the 1 weeks payment, and then supposedly I didn’t calculate the monthly fees correctly so she’s added bits on there but I have the contract with my hours there and I’ve paid the exact amount, she’s charging me for baby groups attended etc (few and far between might I add at £1 a group) however no other parents have been charged for those from what I hear. A lot of the parents were not happy with the way she conducted herself so I can’t imagine she will have a good reputation anymore x

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