Terms and conditions Our terms.

Draft. [Have a solicitor review these terms before launch, including the 12-month period.] Version: draft.

About Little Village

Little Village Childcare is run by [legal business name], [registered address]. We are an introduction service: we find, check and introduce self-employed carers (babysitters, nannies and childminders) to families. Carers are not employed by Little Village, and Little Village does not employ anyone on a family’s behalf.

Terms for families

1. What we do

You tell us what childcare you need. We share your request (without your name, address or contact details) with approved carers, choose a shortlist and introduce them to you through your account. You message them, meet them if you like, and decide who to book.

2. Your account

Keep your login details private and your information accurate, including your children’s ages and any allergies, medical or additional needs. You must be 18 or over to have an account.

3. Prices and payment

• Babysitting: you pay your sitter’s hourly rate plus our 15% service fee (minimum £6), by card through Little Village. We hold the payment until after the sit, then pay your sitter their full rate. Village Members pay a 5% service fee instead, with no minimum.
• Village Membership: £14.99 a month for your first 3 months, then £24.99 a month, taken by card each month until you cancel. The £14.99 introductory price is for a household’s first membership only (we check the account, mobile number and postcode). We’ll remind you at least 7 days before your price goes up. You can cancel any time from your account, and your membership continues to the end of the month you’ve paid for.
• Event childcare and crèches: a 25% deposit confirms your booking. The balance is due 7 days before the event.
• Nannies: your nanny works for your family, not for Little Village. If you hire a nanny we introduce, you pay our placement fee of 12% (live-out) or 15% (live-in) of their gross first-year salary (or your family’s share of it, for a nanny share). The fee includes any VAT. A £400 deposit starts your search; it is taken off the fee, and refunded if you don’t hire a nanny we introduce. The rest is due on your nanny’s first day, or you can choose up to 12 monthly payments by card, with no interest or charges. The fee is earned when your nanny starts, so if you pay monthly, the remaining payments are still due if the placement ends early. If your nanny leaves, or you end their employment, within 12 months of their start date, we’ll find one replacement at no extra fee (not if you no longer need a nanny). As their employer, you are responsible for their contract, pay, tax, pension and right-to-work checks.
• Childminding: you sign the childminder’s own contract and pay them directly.

If you need to cancel, see cancelling a booking below.

4. Cancelling a booking

You can cancel any booking from your account. What you get back depends on how close to the booking you cancel, because your carer has kept that time free for you.

Fewer children, or a shorter booking, counts as a change rather than a cancellation. Tell us as soon as you can and we’ll update your invoice. Removing a carer within 7 days is treated as a cancellation of that carer’s share.

If your carer or Little Village cancels

• If your carer cancels, we’ll try to find you a replacement. If we can’t, you get a full refund, including our fees.
• If we have to cancel for any other reason, you get a full refund, including the deposit and booking fee.
• If something outside anyone’s control stops the booking going ahead, such as severe weather, illness or the venue closing, we’ll try to move it to a new date first. If that isn’t possible, we’ll refund what’s fair for the work already done. [Solicitor to confirm wording.]

[Solicitor to check how these terms fit with your customers’ cancellation rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations for bookings made online.]

5. Book introduced carers through us for 12 months

Finding, checking and introducing carers is how we earn our living, so we ask families not to go around us.

• An introduction happens when we share a carer’s profile with you or put you in touch through your account.
• For 12 months after the most recent introduction to a carer, you agree to book that carer only through Little Village. This covers babysitting (one-off and regular), event childcare and temporary nanny days.
• Please don’t pass a carer’s details to someone else to book them directly.
• If you engage an introduced carer directly in that time, we may stop offering you introductions. We won’t charge you a fee.
• This doesn’t apply to a carer you already knew before we introduced them, as long as you tell us within 7 days of the introduction.
• It also doesn’t apply to childminding or hiring a nanny. With a childminder, you sign their own contract and pay them directly. With a nanny you hire, you pay our placement fee and employ them yourself (see section 3).

Why it’s worth booking through us: our checks, secure card payment, our cancellation policy, and help finding a replacement if your carer can’t make it (with a full refund if we can’t). These don’t apply to arrangements made directly.

6. Messages and contact details

Please keep conversations on Little Village until a booking is confirmed. Phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles are hidden automatically until then. To keep children safe, the Little Village team can read messages. We may suspend accounts that try to swap contact details or that use messages inappropriately.

7. Our checks

Before we introduce a carer, we check their identity, enhanced DBS, paediatric first aid, references and insurance, and we interview them. Checks reduce risk but can’t remove it, so please meet your carer, ask questions and trust your instincts. [Liability wording to be added by your solicitor.]

8. Concerns and complaints

If you have a concern about a child’s safety, call 999 in an emergency, then tell us straight away. For anything else, contact us at [Email address] and we’ll reply within 2 working days.

Terms for carers

1. You’re self-employed

You are self-employed, not an employee or worker of Little Village. You choose which jobs to apply for, set your own babysitting rate, and are responsible for your own tax, National Insurance and insurance.

2. We never charge you

Joining Little Village and being introduced to families is free. We never take a cut of your rate.

3. Checks

Before we can introduce you, we’ll need your ID, an enhanced DBS check (ideally on the Update Service), a paediatric first aid certificate, public liability insurance, two references and a short interview. Please keep these up to date and tell us about any change.

4. Jobs and introductions

Approved carers can see jobs near them and apply. Jobs show the area, date and children’s ages, but not the family’s name, address or contact details. If we introduce you, you’ll be able to message the family. The family decides who to book.

5. Families we introduce stay with Little Village for 12 months

• For 12 months after we introduce you to a family, you agree to take any work with that family through Little Village, and not to offer or accept work from them directly.
• Please don’t share your phone number, email or social media with a family before their booking is confirmed. If a family asks to arrange things directly, tell them bookings go through Little Village, and let us know.
• If you work for an introduced family directly in that time, we may stop offering you introductions. You will never be charged a fee.

6. If you don’t turn up

A family who’s been let down has often already left for their evening or event, so missing a booking without telling us is serious. If you can’t make a booking, tell us as early as you can and we’ll find cover. There’s never a fee.

• First no-show: your account is paused until you’ve had a short interview with us.
• Second no-show: your account is suspended and we’ll arrange a call with you. After the call we’ll either reinstate you, suspend you for 3 to 6 months, or suspend you with no end date.
• Third no-show: you can no longer work with Little Village.
• A genuine emergency that you can show us, such as a hospital visit, won’t count. Pay you’ve already earned is always paid.

7. Getting paid

For babysitting, the family pays by card when they book. We pay you your full rate after the sit, and late cancellations are paid as set out in our cancellation policy. If a family cancels an event within 7 days, you’re paid your share. For events, you’re paid £25 an hour as an event nanny (plus £6 an hour for each extra child, £35 an hour after midnight and £150 for an overnight) or £30 an hour in a crèche (£40 after midnight), plus travel expenses at cost, unless we agree a different rate with you before you accept.

8. Safeguarding and conduct

Follow the family’s instructions about their children, never leave children unattended, and tell us immediately about any accident, injury or safeguarding concern. In an emergency, call 999 first. Messages can be read by the Little Village team to keep everyone safe.

9. Leaving

You can close your account at any time. The 12-month rule still applies to families you’ve been introduced to.

Privacy

We use your details to run your account, match families and carers, and take payments. We share a family’s full details with a carer, and a carer’s contact details with a family, only once a booking is confirmed. Our privacy notice explains what we collect, how long we keep it and your rights.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms, we’ll tell you and ask you to agree to the new version next time you sign in.