Detailed answers, written for UK childminders.

Click Start free trial from the pricing page, enter your email and a password, and verify your inbox. You won't be asked for a card. After 30 days, you'll be prompted to choose a plan — your data is kept for 30 days after that so you can resume any time.

1. Add your setting details (name, Ofsted URN, address, ratios).
2. Add each child with date of birth, key person, allergies and funding type.
3. Add each parent/carer with contact details and permissions.
4. Upload signed contracts and consent forms in Documents.
5. Set your hourly rate, meal charges and any session blocks.
6. Run a test invoice to one parent (you can delete it after).

Yes. Go to Children → Import, download the CSV template, fill it in and upload. Required columns: first name, last name, DOB, parent email. The importer will flag duplicates and missing fields before committing.

Yes. ChildmindPro is a responsive web app — install it to your home screen on iPhone/Android for a native feel. Photos and observations can be captured directly from your camera. Offline mode queues observations and syncs when you reconnect.

Starter (£19.99/mo or £179.99/year — equivalent to £15/mo) — MTD-ready records, parent invoicing, attendance register, child register and email support. Pro (£39.99/mo or £359.99/year — equivalent to £30/mo) — everything in Starter plus funded hours & LA claims, Ofsted document generator, EYFS development tracker, contracts & policy generator, quarterly MTD submission summary and priority support. See the full comparison.

No. Your 30-day trial doesn't require any payment details. You'll only be billed if you choose a paid plan.

Go to Dashboard → Billing → Change plan. Upgrades take effect immediately and you're charged a prorated amount. Downgrades take effect at the next billing date so you keep what you've paid for.

Yes. Monthly plans cancel any time and remain active until the end of the current period (no refund for the current month). Annual plans have a 14-day cooling-off refund window from the renewal date.

Every payment generates a receipt in Billing → Invoices. Click any line to download a PDF. We're not VAT-registered, so receipts show £0 VAT.

We'll retry automatically over 7 days and email you each time. Update your card in Billing → Manage payment method. Your data stays accessible during this grace period; access is paused only if all retries fail.

Annual billing saves 2 months (around 17%). We also offer a 50% Newly Registered discount for the first 6 months if you registered with Ofsted in the last 90 days — email proof of your URN to support.

On the parent's profile, click Add child. The new record inherits address, contacts and emergency information. You only need to add the child-specific details (DOB, allergies, key person).

Each child has a Consents tab: photography, outings, sun cream, plasters, emergency medical, nappy changing. Parents can update these via the parent portal and changes are time-stamped for your Ofsted evidence.

Yes. Open Contracts → New from template, pick UK childminder contract, fill in hours/rate/notice, and the system merges parent + child details. Send by email for e-signature. See the parent contracts guide.

Archive the child record — it's hidden from daily views but retained for the legally required 3 years (longer if there's a safeguarding concern). Set a final invoice date and the contract status to Ended.

On the child, go to Invoicing → Schedule. Choose monthly, set the day (e.g. 1st), add line items (sessions, meals, consumables) and any funded-hours deduction. Invoices are auto-drafted 7 days before the due date for you to review.

Add the funded session line at your full rate, then add a negative line called Funded hours deduction. This keeps your records transparent for the local authority audit. See the funded hours guide.

Yes — connect Stripe in Payments for card and Bacs Direct Debit (UK only, ~1% fee). Parents click the pay link on the invoice. Manual bank transfer is also supported and can be marked paid manually.

Set late-fee rules per child or globally (e.g. £5 after 3 days). The system auto-generates a follow-up invoice for the fee and emails a reminder. You can waive any fee with a single click.

On the invoice, click Mark paid → Cash and the date. It's logged in your income ledger and counted in MTD exports.

Tap the camera icon on the home screen, snap a photo, tag the child(ren) and area of learning, and add a one-line note. The AI can expand this into a full observation draft you review before saving. See EYFS observations without burnout.

It takes your photo + short note and produces a 2–3 sentence observation linked to the relevant EYFS area and Development Matters statement, plus a suggested next step. You always review and edit before it's saved. Nothing is shared with parents until you publish.

Yes. Parents get a private portal showing observations you've published, photos, and termly summaries. They can comment and add their own "home learning" observations.

Open the child's Reports tab and click 2-year check. It compiles observations across the prime areas into a draft you can edit, then export as PDF for the health visitor and parents.

Safeguarding policy, complaints, behaviour, SEND, accidents, medication, fire safety, EYFS implementation, British values, equality, GDPR and more — all UK childminder-specific and dated. Edit any of them in Documents → Policies.

Use the Ofsted readiness dashboard — it surfaces missing consents, out-of-date policies, gaps in observations, and overdue paediatric first aid. See the inspection prep guide.

Records → Accidents. Each entry captures time, location, treatment, witness, parent signature, and is exportable as a PDF. RIDDOR-reportable incidents are flagged separately.

Records → Safeguarding uses a chronological, restricted-access log. Only you (and your DSL if separate) can view it. Entries are timestamped and immutable — edits are tracked.

Yes. We produce digital quarterly summaries in the format HMRC requires from April 2026 for self-employed income over £30k. You'll bridge into your chosen filing software (or use our HMRC-recognised export). See our MTD guide.

Finance → Expenses. Snap a receipt — it's OCR'd. Mileage uses HMRC's simplified rates (45p/25p). The use-of-home flat rate is auto-applied based on hours worked.

Yes — Finance → Year-end pack produces a CSV of income, expenses by category, a profit & loss summary, and a PDF audit trail. Send the link or download direct.

Settings → Team → Invite. Choose their role (Assistant, Manager). They get an email link to set a password. You can scope access (e.g. no finance, no safeguarding).

Yes. Enable TOTP (Google Authenticator, 1Password, etc.) in Settings → Security. Required for Setting plan accounts.

UK data centres, encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3). Daily backups, retained 30 days. We're registered with the ICO (registration number on request) and provide a DPA on signup.

Settings → Data → Export gives you a full ZIP of children, parents, observations, invoices and documents. Delete account permanently removes everything after a 14-day grace period.

Check spam and add no-reply@childmindpro.co.uk to your contacts. If you use Hotmail/Outlook, also check the Other inbox. Still missing? Use the in-app Resend button and contact support — we'll trace the delivery log.

Open their record → Parent portal → Resend invite. They must use the same email you have on file. If they've forgotten the password, the Forgot password link on the login page works for parents too.

Most likely a weak connection — photos queue offline and upload when you reconnect. If a specific photo fails, it's usually over the 25 MB per-photo limit; we'll auto-compress on retry.

Open the invoice → Issue credit note, then create a corrected invoice. This keeps an auditable trail (required by HMRC) rather than editing the original.