Changing childcare: placement, contracts and a smooth handover

For a planned change of childcare, check the new offer and contract dates first, then finish the old arrangements and organise a handover for your child. Put the end and start dates on one timeline. Check cancellation terms separately and update your childcare allowance information on time.

1. Decide what the new arrangement needs to solve

Write down the specific reason for changing: moving home, different working days, starting school, travel or an approach that no longer suits your family. Make a short list of essential requirements. This might include a school collection route, Thursday care or a manageable morning journey. It helps you avoid recreating the same difficulty at the new place.

If you have concerns about current care, record what you observed and discuss it with the appropriate contact. Ask about the complaints procedure if a conversation does not help. An urgent situation may require faster action: do not let an ordinary transition plan prevent you from promptly raising a serious concern with the responsible people.

2. Make the new offer specific

A waiting list, visit or enthusiastic phone conversation is not a confirmed placement. Ask for a written offer identifying the location, care type, days, times and start date. Check what is confirmed and what remains conditional. For childminding, establish which agency will support the new placement too.

Build a shortlist with childcare search, after-school care search or childminder search. Read the inspection report and arrange a conversation using the visit checklist. Confirm available days directly: a public profile is not a placement offer.

3. Check both sets of terms

Read your current contract and its terms. Find how to give notice, which address or channel to use and what end date follows. Get that end date confirmed in writing. BOinK distinguishes cancelling before care begins from terminating an ongoing arrangement. Do not assume that the same rule covers both situations.

Ask about obligations under a separate agency agreement or additional services. Ending one agreement does not automatically end everything else you agreed. If a notice period, minimum term or charge is unclear, ask the provider to identify it in the applicable documents. For a dispute, seek advice from an appropriate parents' organisation or legal adviser.

Read the new terms in the same way: charged hours, closures, changes, settling in and termination. There is no universal cancellation arrangement you can apply to every provider without checking.

4. Draw the timeline before deciding

Record four dates: when the new offer becomes final, the last old care day, the first new care day and any settling-in sessions. Mark the days between them when you still need care. This makes a gap or overlap visible before you commit.

For example, the new provider can start Monday care now but Wednesday only a month later. If your old contract ends both days together, Wednesday care may be missing. Ask whether a gradual transition is actually possible and what both providers would charge. Do not assume that swapping is free or that you can keep one old day separately.

A temporary overlap can be practical but may cost more. Ask both providers for the amounts and check the allowance position with Dienst Toeslagen. Do not assume that every period with two contracts is fully reimbursed.

5. Prepare a small, useful handover

Discuss how introductory and settling-in sessions are organised and paid for. Ask who will welcome your child and how you will communicate after the first days. Keep your explanation to your child understandable: where are we going, who will we meet and when will I collect you? You do not need to promise a particular reaction.

Prepare a brief summary of information the new provider needs, such as daily routines, communication arrangements and relevant care needs. Agree what may be shared, with whom and through which channel. A complete export of every message or photograph is rarely a useful handover. Discuss specific care needs directly and involve a treating professional where appropriate.

6. Update your childcare allowance

Dienst Toeslagen asks parents to report changes in provider, hours, rate or ending care as soon as possible and within four weeks. Follow the current instructions and have the contracts ready. Check the correct LRK number, start and end dates, hours and rate for each changed arrangement. Do not keep old details running simply because an invoice is still being processed.

Notifying the childcare provider is not the same as updating Dienst Toeslagen yourself. Keep the confirmation and check that the details match your agreements. If you have several children or temporarily use different locations, read the guidance for your situation or contact Dienst Toeslagen. This plan does not calculate your personal allowance or establish entitlement to an amount.

7. Finish the administration and check after starting

Keep the notice, confirmed end date, new offer and contract together. Compare the last old invoice and first new invoice with the agreed hours and charges. Ask which direct debits still follow. Share updated contact details with the relevant parties where needed.

Arrange a short conversation after the first care days: are collection and drop-off working, how is the handover going and which questions have appeared? If the transition is still difficult, discuss one specific issue at a time. For an agency change, also read choosing a childminder and agency to clarify responsibilities.

Sources and date checked

The contract and allowance information was checked on 8 October 2026. Consult your own documents and the current guidance:

• BOinK: cancellation and termination
• BOinK: childcare contracts
• BOinK: childminding contracts
• Dienst Toeslagen: reporting childcare changes