The Gentle Start Consultant will only undertake business on the following terms and conditions. These terms are legally binding so please read them carefully.
1. The acceptance of a Phone (regular call or Whatsapp audio as opposed to zoom or other video media) or Home Consultation will be deemed as acceptance of the following terms and conditions.
2. The full fee for Gentle Start Phone Consultation services is due in advance of the initial consultation. Payment secures the space and is required a minimum of 5 working days before consultation unless otherwise agreed.
3. If the Phone package is cancelled by the client, the following terms and conditions apply:
· Less than 2 working days (working day defined as a consultant’s weekday; working hours 10am-8pm) - full amount payable
· 2 working days to 5 working days’ notice – 50% of final fee payable
· 5 working days to 15 working days – 25% of final fee payable
· More than 15 working days – No charge
Should the client not answer the call, two more attempts will be made within 30 minutes of the scheduled start time. If the call is still unanswered by the client, the full amount is payable.
4. The Gentle Start Consultant accepts that whilst working with babies and children there are sometimes situations where consultations or home visits need to be rescheduled due to family circumstances. If this is the case, the Consultant will endeavour to work with the client to arrange another date and there will be no charge or cancellation fee as long as the same service is being booked for a later date*. Home visits must be rebooked and used within 3 months of the original date. Phone consultations must be rebooked and used within 2 months of the original date. Failing to rebook within the given time period will result in retention of the deposit by Gentle Start.
*please note, the exception to this is for July, August and December dates when a higher deposit of 40% is required and rescheduling will incur an additional £50 fee to help cover overheads.
· A minimum of 5 full working days’ notice is required if clients wish to reschedule Home Consultations.
· A minimum of 3 full working days’ notice is required if clients wish to reschedule a Phone Consultation.
· In exceptional circumstances, for example, sudden illness, the client should contact Gentle Start as soon as possible.
Please note that rescheduling can only be allowed once per booking due to the resultant loss of revenue for the consultant. When rescheduling occurs, the full balance may be required to be paid prior to consultation. Please note that the client hereby agrees to this when requesting and being granted rescheduled dates.
Should the client not wish to keep the rescheduled dates as agreed, the deposit will be retained by Gentle Start and the booking cancelled as long as a minimum of 5 working days notice has been given of said cancellation. Please note that the client hereby agrees to this when requesting and being granted rescheduled dates.
Should the client cancel the rescheduled dates at less than 96 hours notice, 50% of the full fee will be charged. Please note that the client hereby agrees to this when requesting and being granted rescheduled dates.
Should the client cancel the rescheduled dates at less than 72 hours notice, 75% of the full fee will be charged. Please note that the client hereby agrees to this when requesting and being granted rescheduled dates.
Should the client cancel the rescheduled dates at less than 24 hours notice, 100% of the full fee will be charged. Please note that the client hereby agrees to this when requesting and being granted rescheduled dates.
Should the client be granted a request to reschedule, but then request to cancel, prior to agreeing a date (or should that date not be agreed within 3 months of the original booking), then cancellation dates will be calculated from the date of the reschedule request to the date of the original booking, and cancellation fees will apply as per section 3.
5. A 30% deposit of the full fee is due in advance for Home Consultations (this deposit may be 40% in July, August and December). Payment secures the space and is required 3 working days before consultation unless otherwise agreed. The balance of the fee is due within 3 working days of the Consultation taking place. Payment will be followed by the Consultation report. Clients may pay the full amount prior to Consultation, if preferred. In some cases, as determined by the Gentle Start Consultant, payment for a Home Consultation may be required in full before attending.
6. All deposits for Home Consultations are non-refundable in the event of client cancellation, irrespective of length of notice given by client.
Please note that booking implies intent to pay. Should a client cancel within 5 working days of agreed booking, in cases where a deposit has not yet been paid, the client is still financially liable. This liability covers the deposit fee for the home-visit(s) in the amount detailed in the invoice sent to said client.
7. The Gentle Start Consultant reserves the right to cancel Consultations at short notice due to personal emergency – as much notice will be given as possible and in this event the client will be offered a full refund or alternative dates if preferred. If a client with an unconfirmed start time does not respond to emails and text messages by 9:30am on the date of the scheduled visit, it is at the consultant’s discretion to decide whether or not this constitutes client cancellation (on the part of the client, in the absence of reply) and the visit may be terminated (with no permitted rescheduling). The deposit and any additional charges paid will then be forfeited by the client.
8. Home Consultations are booked for the length of time specified at booking ONLY. A client may decide to use less of the session booked, but is responsible for paying for the full length of visit arranged, within the dates agreed. Unless agreed at the time of booking, home-visits take place in the afternoon to early evening, ending by 7pm. Early evening is defined as 5-7pm.
· For example, should an 8hr behavioural visit be booked, the client may decide to use only 7 hours, but will be financially liable for 8 hours.
· Hours cannot be carried over unless a second Home Consultation is already booked, the deposit for this paid and the Consultant is able to facilitate this change.
For example, clients booking a 5-hour visit followed the next day by an 8-hour visit, could, at the Consultant’s discretion and according to availability, restructure the visit to 6 hours and 7 hours. The client is financially liable for any time unused.
· Additional hours on booked days may be arranged at an hourly rate, where availability exists.
· Hours can only be split or restructured over the number of days booked, on the dates booked. Additional days cannot be added without incurring an additional fee (this is arranged on a case by case basis and the Consultant reserves the right to refuse).
· Rescheduled Home Visits must follow the same format as originally booked.
9. The minimum length of time available for single behavioural home visits (one child) is recommended to be 8 hours. Other packages minimum lengths are as stated in the descriptions on the website. Please refer to http://www.gentle-start.com/prices
10. The Gentle Start Consultant advises that all Parents follow the SIDS guidelines when dealing with their child’s sleep. Please refer to www.lullabytrust.org.uk
11. The Gentle Start Consultant does not condone and would never recommend any form of corporal punishment be used on children and advises all Parents to refer to UK legal guidelines in this matter.
12. Advice given by the Gentle Start Consultant is intended as parenting advice only, it is not a therapeutic service nor a substitute for medical advice from your GP, Paediatrician or other healthcare professional.
13. The Gentle Start Consultant does not work in a medical capacity and any concerns about your baby’s or child’s medical or mental health should be taken up with your GP, health visitor or the relevant healthcare professional.
14. The Gentle Start Consultant advises to the best of their ability, experience and training but does not accept responsibility or liability for sleep and behavioural work that does not achieve the desired result following the Consultation process. The Parent accepts responsibility for success after the Consultant has finished their time in the client’s home or consultation by phone.
15. The Gentle Start Consultant advises that the parents are consistent and stick to the plan and recommendations made in order to achieve progress. Outcome depends highly on parental consistency and therefore by agreeing to Consultation, the Parents agree to working alongside the Consultant to achieve the best results possible.
16. In all consultations including reports, the report will be sent 3-5 working days following consultation. In the case of Home Consultation, the report may not be sent until the balance of the fee is paid.
17. Any feeding or other significant concerns about your baby or child should be expressed during the initial consultation so that the Gentle Start Consultant can consider the appropriate options in each case. An initial consultation of up to 20 minutes is provided free of charge to all potential clients to discuss their case. The intent of this call is to get background and understand the issues involved, not to give immediate advice.
18. The Gentle Start Consultant works closely with clients to the best of their ability. In the rare event of cases in which less progress is seen than expected, the Consultant may arrange a follow-up call and suggest possible reasons, given new information provided by parents and observations made during the consultation process. Parents will need to be open to any suggestions, recommendations and observations that may be made at this time and be willing to try other things, for example, be open to referral to other services such as, but not limited to, occupational therapy or feeding specialists working with occupational therapists.
19. The Gentle Start Consultant advises Parents to read the report carefully before embarking on any sleep training/new routines/behavioural changes. In the event of consultation without report, it is the Parents responsibility to make their own notes during consultation in lieu of the report. Reports cannot usually be written retrospectively.
20. The Gentle Start after-care support service (length, format and time scale) is as detailed on the website, following the client’s consultation. Some packages do not include after care support. It is the responsibility of the Parent to ensure they understand prior to booking, what after-care is included in their chosen package. Support is provided over consecutive days, with the after-care package commencing on the date of the first support contact made by the client. Additional support and follow-up calls can be requested, for an additional charge, where this can be accommodated by the Consultant. Please refer to http://www.gentle-start.com/prices
21. The Gentle Start Consultant is contactable during the hours of 8:30am to 7:30pm during the support period from Mondays to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 10am-6pm. During this time messages and emails will be responded to as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours, often less, however, there may be times when the Consultant is with a client or due to personal circumstances cannot reply as quickly as this.
22. The After-Care Support Period if used must commence within 7 days of Consultation to maintain the accuracy of advice, unless agreed otherwise on a case by case basis prior to consultation. It is non-refundable as part of a package or when purchased separately and once initiated lasts for the designated time post-consultation unless a date has been agreed otherwise. If the support is not used by the client during the stated time above, there is no refund available.
23. Additional supplementary charges will be made, as detailed on the website, for Home Consultations occurring over weekends or bank holidays. Please refer to http://www.gentle-start.com/prices
24. Consultation is intended for one child only. Inclusion of siblings will be decided on a case by case basis and a sibling charge, as detailed on the website, will be levied. Please refer to http://www.gentle-start.com/prices
25. The Gentle Start Consultant is happy to travel, on a case by case basis, to clients outside of London, and outside the UK. Should travel be necessary, clients are financially responsible for all reasonable expenses incurred, including but not limited to flights, transit and transit/travel time (over 2 hours), travel insurance contribution, visas, accommodation and meals whilst abroad.
26. Although the term ‘Parent’ is used whilst describing terms and conditions, this is intended as interchangeable with ‘Client’, ‘Carer’, ‘Step-Parent’ or any other person with legal responsibility and guardianship of the child.
26. Long-term clients (greater than 6 months) requiring an exit report for an MDT/other bodies; for example schools or nurseries, will incur a charge of £120 for this document.