To confirm my booking with you - you will need to pay a non-returnable deposit, which is your first payment towards my fee. The final balance for a birth support agreement is due when I go on call for you at 38 weeks, but you can pay in installments if that's easier for you. 
Postnatal support is invoiced weekly based on the number of hours worked. The deposit pays for the first of those hours.

Yes - to confirm my commitment to you in my diary, so that I don't put other things in that could interfere with my service to you such as holidays, conflicting bookings and so on, a deposit is required.

Yes - After the deposit is paid, you can set up payments however you would like. 

When we confirm our agreement, I will let you know of anything in my diary that might conflict with attending your birth. In those instances I will either offer a back-up doula for those dates or suggest a shared care model of support where you get the support of 2 doulas to ensure that one of us will be able to attend to you in labour. 

I have one sole care client at a time - that is if I am your only doula then I don't have another client for whom I am there only doula in your 38 - 42 week on call period. 
I may however take on additional clients shared with another doula - shared care. 
I have never had any clients birth on the same day (although I have had people birth in the same week!)

We will discuss any significant life events I have in my diary over your on call period when you book me. 

I can arrange a back up doula if it's only a few days when I might not be available or recommend shared care if - say - I'm on holiday for a significant part of your on call period. 

If unexpected life events happen, such as illness - I will find a back up doula to take over.

Yes - Shared Care is a brilliant way for me to support more women and birthing people and for you to receive doula support from 2 or more doulas.

In a shared care agreement I and another doula will provide antenatal, labour and birth support for you together. That's not to say that we will both be at every appointment or you'll get us both at your birth, but you will have the opportunity to get to know us both, and one of us will definitely attend your labour and birth. If your labour is long, we can hand over to the second as well so your whole labour is fully supported by the doulas you've paid for.

I'll travel approximately a 45 minute drive from my home address which is CW1 4JH. 

Yes. If you live further away than a 15 mile round trip to my home address (CW1 4JH) I will charge the total round trip to our meeting place less 15 miles at 45p per mile.

If failure to attend your birth is due to my misjudgement or unavailability, only the retaining fee/deposit is payable. 

If I am unable to attend the birth due to circumstances outside of my control, I shall endeavour to provide a replacement doula. In this case the full fee is payable. If a replacement doula is unavailable, only the retaining fee is payable.

I will enlist a “back up” doula, who you will be able to meet before your due date, to provide support to you in the event of any unforeseen circumstances. 

If I do not attend the birth due to circumstances outside anyone’s control (e.g baby arrives very quickly) or due to misjudgement on your part (e.g. you call me too late, choose to keep vital information from me or choose not to call me at all) the full fee will still apply.

If you cancel this agreement less than six weeks before your due date, the full fee also applies as I will have booked out my time for you for up to a month i.e. from 2 weeks before the guess date (EDD) until the baby's born (possibly 42wks +) and potentially turned down other clients.