Terms & Conditions

1. About these terms

These terms apply to everyone who uses The Sitter List website and app (“The Sitter List”, “we”, “us”), whether you're browsing, a family looking for a sitter (“Family”), or a babysitter offering care (“Sitter”). By creating an account or making a booking you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use The Sitter List.

The Sitter List is a small, community-run project for Bundeena and Maianbar, NSW. You can reach us at any time through our contact page.

2. What The Sitter List does (and doesn't do)

The Sitter List is a local directory and booking tool. We help Families find, compare and contact approved local Sitters, check their availability and send booking requests.

• We are not a childcare provider, nanny agency or employer. Sitters are not our employees or contractors.
• We never assign a Sitter to a Family. The Family chooses who to book, and the Sitter chooses whether to accept.
• The care arrangement, including what's expected on the day and payment for the Sitter's time, is between the Family and the Sitter.

3. Who can join

• The Sitter List is for people living in or connected to Bundeena and Maianbar. Every account is personally reviewed by our team before it can book or be booked, and we may decline any application.
• Families must be 18 or older.
• Sitters must be at least 14. Sitters under 18 need a parent or guardian who has read these terms, agrees to them on the Sitter's behalf, and gives us their contact details.
• Sitters aged 18 or over must hold a current NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) for paid work. We check WWCC numbers with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian before approving a Sitter.

4. Your account

• Give us accurate, up-to-date information and keep it current, including your WWCC details if they change or expire.
• Keep your password private. You're responsible for what happens on your account.
• One account per person. Accounts can't be shared or transferred.

5. What we expect from Sitters

• Only list availability you can genuinely offer, and keep it up to date.
• Reply to booking requests promptly. You are never obliged to accept a booking.
• Turn up on time for bookings you accept, follow the Family's reasonable instructions, and put the children's safety first at all times.
• Be honest about your experience and any certificates you list. Only list qualifications you actually hold.
• Tell us straight away if your WWCC is barred, suspended or expires.

6. What we expect from Families

• Choose a Sitter you're comfortable with. Read their profile, ask questions, and consider a short meet-and-greet before the first booking.
• Before each booking, tell your Sitter everything they need to know: allergies, medical needs, routines, emergency contacts and where you'll be.
• Provide a safe home environment and be contactable during the booking.
• Pay your Sitter the agreed amount, directly, on the day. Make sure younger Sitters have a safe way to get home.

7. Bookings

A Family sends a booking request through The Sitter List for a date and time within the Sitter's listed availability. The booking is only confirmed once the Sitter accepts it. If the Sitter doesn't respond within 24 hours, the request lapses and we'll let the Family know. Once a booking is confirmed, we share the Family's and Sitter's contact details with each other, and the Sitter's emergency contacts with the Family. Sitter rates shown on The Sitter List are set by each Sitter.

8. Fees and payments

The Sitter List is currently free for Families and Sitters. We don't charge a booking fee and we don't take card payments.

Payment for the Sitter's time is made by the Family directly to the Sitter on the day, at the rate shown on the Sitter's profile or as agreed between them. It does not go through The Sitter List.

If we introduce a fee in future, we'll update these terms and tell members by email before it applies to any booking.

9. Cancellations

Families and Sitters should give at least 24 hours' notice to cancel a confirmed booking, except in a genuine emergency or illness. Please cancel as early as you can so the other person can make other plans.

Repeated late cancellations or no-shows may lead to us suspending an account.

10. Safety

• Our personal approval process and WWCC checks reduce risk but can't remove it. Families remain responsible for deciding who cares for their children.
• In an emergency, call 000 first.
• If you have a safety concern about anyone on The Sitter List, tell us straight away through the contact page. We may suspend an account while we look into it, and we'll report anything that suggests a child is at risk to the appropriate authorities.

11. Using The Sitter List fairly

You must not:

• give false information or pretend to be someone else;
• harass, threaten or discriminate against anyone;
• use other members' details for anything other than arranging babysitting, or share them with anyone else;
• advertise other services, send spam, or copy or scrape content from The Sitter List; or
• interfere with how the website works or try to get around its security.

12. Your content

You're responsible for what you put on your profile, including photos, bio, rates and any reviews you leave. It must be honest and respectful. You let us display it on The Sitter List for as long as your account is active, and we may remove content that breaks these terms.

13. Privacy

We collect and use personal information, including information about Sitters under 18 and their guardians, as described in our Privacy Policy. A Sitter's emergency contacts are only shared with a Family once the Sitter has accepted their booking.

14. Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or changes any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other law that can't be excluded.

Subject to that, The Sitter List is an introduction service. We aren't responsible for the acts or omissions of Families or Sitters, for what happens during a booking, or for any arrangement made between them. To the extent the law allows, we aren't liable for any loss or damage arising from a booking or from your dealings with another member.

We work to keep The Sitter List available and accurate, but we can't promise it will always be uninterrupted or error-free, or that a Sitter will be available when you need one.

15. Things outside our control

We're not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as bushfires, storms, power or internet outages, or problems with our payment or hosting providers.

16. Suspending or closing accounts

You can close your account at any time by contacting us. We may suspend or close an account if someone breaks these terms, if we have a safety concern, or if a Sitter's WWCC is no longer valid.

17. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We'll show the date of the latest version on this page, and email members about any significant changes. Continuing to use The Sitter List after a change means you accept the updated terms.

18. Complaints and disputes

If something goes wrong, contact us first and we'll do our best to sort it out quickly and fairly. Disagreements between a Family and a Sitter should be raised with each other first, and we can help where it's appropriate.

19. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, and the courts of New South Wales have jurisdiction.