Childminders use "terms and conditions", "contract" and "agreement" to mean much the same thing: the written terms both sides sign up to. What matters is that you have one document that sets out your terms, signed by the family, and that it agrees with your policies.
How the pieces fit together
The contract or agreement is the signed document. It covers the child's place, fees, absence, notice and the other terms. Some childminders call the general terms "terms and conditions" and put each child's details on a separate booking form, which works too, as long as both are signed.
Your policies describe how you run your setting: safeguarding, illness, behaviour, complaints. The contract can include them as appendices or refer to them.
The family's information is the child's details, health, contacts and consents. It belongs with the contract and is kept securely.
Keeping them consistent
The most common problem is documents that disagree. If your terms say children stay home for 24 hours after sickness and your illness policy says 48, a parent will notice at the worst moment. Write them together, or from the same answers, and check them side by side once a year.
Making the terms fair
Families are consumers, so under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 your terms must be fair, in plain language and brought to their attention. Terms that let you change anything at any time, or keep money whatever happens, are unlikely to hold up. My contract template guide covers the common problems.
Questions people ask
Do I need terms and conditions and a contract? No. One signed document with your terms is enough. Use whichever name you prefer.
Should parents sign my policies? It's good practice to have parents confirm they've received and read them. Including them as appendices to the contract means one signature covers both.
GoChildmind writes the contract and your policies from the same answers, so they always agree, and includes the policies as appendices.