Is it OK to say No?

Q: We are a small family day care service and have been approached by two different lead agencies to sign up with them and feel very pressured by them.

They have not provided information that relates to the checklist on your website, nor actually provided any information as to who pays for the childcare places, what our scheme will actually benefit from by entering into a partnership. Can we say no if we are uncomfortable with the procedure?

A: You should never sign up to any agreement that makes you feel uncomfortable.

If the lead agencies are unwilling to spell out the details of what they want you to do, where you fit into their overall service model and how much funding would be available, you should not feel pressured to do anything that may potentially disadvantage your service.

Some lead agencies are finding it difficult to share information because of the competitive nature of this process. However, this puts smaller, potential partner organisations into an impossible position.

This is not a compulsory process and your service should not be disadvantaged if you decide to say No.

As a service you need to think about what you want to do, what the service goals and objectives are, and whether or not you think participating in the partnership would offer benefits to vulnerable families in your area.

If on that basis you decide not to participate, that is a legitimate decision.

If you decide it would be beneficial and you would like to participate, then the lead agency must be prepared to negotiate with you, to share information, to discuss terms and conditions, and to allocate an appropriate share of the funding based on your assessment of the costs to your service.