RULES
All babysitting circles need some ground rules. We thought long and hard about what worked best in our group and The Baby Bank has been set up using the following rules and procedures:

Points:

9am to 6pm	Monday to Friday	1 point per hour
	Saturday & Sunday	2 points per hour
6pm to midnight	Sunday to Thursday	1 point per hour
	Friday & Saturday	2 points per hour
After midnight	Any day	3 points per hour

The number of points are the same even if there is more than one child being babysit.

Logging of points:
If you don’t need to adjust the requested times to reflect what actually happened then you don’t need to do anything-your statement will automatically be updated 48 hours after the babysit. However, should you wish to change the start or end time of the babysit to reflect what actually happened, you can do this either on the "my agreed babysits" page or on the "my statement" page. The credits and debits will then be allocated and you will be able to see all your points on the "my statement" page.

Maximum number of debit points:
Every time you use a babysitter you will be debited points. Your balance can be seen on the "my statement" page. Your account will only let you go to a 50 point overdraft in any group. Once you are 50 points overdrawn in a group then you will not be allowed to book any babysitting with that group until you have built up some credits by babysitting for other members of the group.

Babysitting for longer or shorter than requested:
If a babysit goes over or under the agreed time, you can adjust the start and end times before the points are allocated (you have 48 hours after the end of the babysit to make any adjustments). You do this either on the "my agreed babysits" page or on the "my statement" page by clicking on ‘comfirm completion’. The credits and debits will then be allocated and you will be able to see all your points on the "my statement" page.

E-mails and texts
Request emails go out to all group members simultaneously. Text requests are sent to the 5 highest debtors in your group first to give them the chance to clear their balance. If none of the highest debtors accept, the text will then go out to the rest of the people in your group.

Cancellations:
1) Less than 24 hours before the agreed babysit:

If you requested the babysit then log in, go to "my requests" and cancel the request. The Baby Bank will then send an e-mail and a text to the friend who had accepted your request. There is no separate charge for this text. However because of the late cancellation you will still be debited the points for your request. The babysitter should then confirm completion of the babysit by going to "my agreed babysits" as if the babysit had actually happened so they still get their credit points.

If you are the babysitter then you need to go into "my agreed babysits" and cancel the appropriate babysit. The Baby Bank will then send an e-mail and a text to the friend who was expecting you to babysit (but it would be nice to call your friend as well). There is no separate charge for this text. The Baby Bank will then send out a new e-mail and text message to your group asking them to fulfill the babysitting request. You will be charged the £1.50 per group of 10 text charge for this. You will also get a late cancellation penalty and will be debited points equivalent to the credits you would have got if you had done the babysit.

2) More than 24 hours before the scheduled babysit:

If you requested the babysit then log in, go to "my requests" and cancel the request. The Baby Bank will then send an e-mail and a text to the friend who had accepted your request. There is no separate charge for this text.

If you are the babysitter then log in, go to "my agreed babysits" and cancel the agreed babysit. The Baby Bank will then send out a new e-mail and text message to your group asking them to fulfill the babysitting request. You will be charged the £1.50 per group of 10 text charge for this.

Deleting an open request
You can delete any of your requests for a babysitter at any time before they are accepted without being debited any points.

Amending a request
Once your request is in the system you can’t amend it but if no one has accepted it you can go to "my requests", delete it and start again with a new request. However if you use the text service then you will be charged again. If your request has already been accepted you will need to contact the babysitter yourself to agree any changes. Any changes in the length of the babysit can be sorted out when the babysitter logs into the site to confirm completion by going to "my agreed babysits" as they can alter the "start" or "end" time there. The Baby Bank will then re-calculate the debits and credits so everyone gets the appropriate number of points.

Group Owner's role:
If you set up a group you become the Group Owner and you can then invite people to join your group. You can remove members if they move away or decide not to stay involved. If you do not want to continue as Group Owner then you can appoint one of the other members in your place.

Special request box
We use the special request box on the "request a babysitter" page to let each other know about things like favourite toys, tips for settling and so on

GUIDELINES
These are the guidelines we have in our group. You may want to use these or develop your own:

1. Babysitting is done by the group member and not their husband, partner or other family member, unless it is agreed in advance.
2. Try and respond quickly so that the requestor knows as soon as possible that someone can babysit.
3. The babysit takes place in the requestor’s house unless you agree otherwise.
4. Please arrive on time.
5. Parking Permits need to be provided if necessary and the babysitter uses their own transport.
6. A full list of emergency contact numbers and alarm codes etc. should be available.
7. If the babysit starts at or before 7.30 pm please leave out tea/supper or snacks.
8. If possible the kids should be in bed or ready for bed when an evening babysit starts.
9. If someone moves away or wants to leave the group they may still have debits and credits left. In our group members leaving have usually waived credits and given a small amount for their outstanding debits (we have used £2 per point) to a children’s charity. Here at The BabyBank we support Barnardo’s, the charity which works to help the most vulnerable children and young people transform their lives and fulfil their potential.