Thousands of childcare volunteers across the UK and Europe show solidarity with healthcare workers

17th March 2020

Europe has intensified its measures to combat COVID-19, and the UK has ramped up its response encouraging everyone to stay home, avoid all unnecessary travel, and to self-isolate if you are in a high-risk group. For many European countries, schools and non-essential businesses have already closed, and national quarantine has become or is becoming the foreseeable future for millions of people. Following the closure of schools across Europe, Yoopies, the largest European childcare platform, has launched an appeal across Europe to all students, childcare providers, and the general public to help the childcare needs of healthcare professionals. The UK is three weeks behind Italy, and with measures changing on a daily basis, today, Yoopies UK has launched the same call to the British general public.

Call for childcare to support workers in essential industries -

As European countries tighten measures to combat the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, the online childcare platform Yoopies is contributing to efforts across Europe to help healthcare staff in public and private hospitals access last-minute childcare. CEO of Yoopies, Benjamin Suchar, has said "As hospitals begin to experience more and more pressure, the issue of childcare for healthcare staff is an increasing concern. Yoopies is committed to contributing
to efforts across Europe to offer childcare support during this particularly intense and stressful period."

Volunteering during the Coronavirus Outbreak

Following Yoopies' call for action, a huge number of users contacted our Customer Support team, offering voluntary
childcare service to families who needed it most. In light of this solidarity, Yoopies has now launched the feature
"Volunteering during the Coronavirus Outbreak." Every new applicant who registers on the website will be able to select
an option showing on their profile that they are willing to volunteer their childcare services for the families of
healthcare professionals and other essential service workers.

This feature aims to help healthcare professionals with children to find childcare on a volunteer basis, enabling them
to go to work.

Yoopies France saw almost 10,000 people register themselves as a volunteer childcare provider within just a few
hours. The French Hospital organisation "Federation de l'Hospitalisation Privee et d'etablissement publics de sante"
has now partnered with Yoopies to provide free access to the childcare platform for their employees. Yoopies' CEO Benjamin Suchar commented "I was absolutely amazed at the solidarity of our community coming together, thousands of babysitters have answered our call to offer their service for free, and I thank all who are contributing to this positive movement".

How can you help?
With the COVID-19 outbreak situation changing every day, we anticipate increased pressure on healthcare workers in the UK over the next few weeks to find a childcare solution.

Already, nurses and doctors are working longer hours, altering their job role and doing as much as they can to manage the outbreak. As the number of UK cases approaches "the fast growth part of the upward curve", should schools close in the UK, NHS and private hospital staff will require accessible childcare quickly. Yoopies UK is now calling on student networks, childcare professionals and the general public who are available to register as a childcare volunteer on
https://info.yoopies.co.uk/we-need-you/

Already, over 1,500 in the UK have registered themselves as childcare volunteers within a few hours of launching the feature and positive community spirit has spread on social media.

Register at https://yoopies.co.uk/registration

Francesca Chong, UK Country Manager at Yoopies, concludes "Of course, this feature is entirely optional, however, we hope this movement of solidarity and community spirit will encourage positive action in the coming difficult weeks, and ultimately ensure our NHS, and other essential services are supported." Manual verifications and DBS checks are in place for childcare providers signing up on Yoopies and all volunteers will receive instructions in preventative measures against spreading the virus.