Care.com UK Addresses 'Care Drain' Hitting Local Economy

LONDON, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The staggering cost of childcare for UK families has underscored the need for a revised approach, according to Care.com UK (uk.care.com), the on-line marketplace in the country offering British families direct access to carers.

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According to a survey on childcare in the UK recently conducted by Daycare Trust and Mumsnet, 38% of responding parents have considered leaving their jobs to manage their childcare needs.

Care.com UK Country Director Sigrid Daniel said, "In a period of high unemployment, the fact that parents are leaving the workplace because they cannot afford quality childcare is, at the very least, a sobering statement and evidence that something is severely lacking in how care is managed in the UK today.  And the subsequent repercussion – that there are then fewer jobs for carers – becomes a costly care drain on the UK economy."

"A different model is needed," continued Ms. Daniel, "And that's where Care.com comes in.  Our mission is to provide families and carers direct connection and contact, making the process of finding and securing care more efficient and cost-effective.  We use technology to empower families to tailor their search so that they find carers who meet their specific needs, and we enable them and care providers to communicate directly."

Care.com UK, a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Care.com, launched in April 2012 and provides families access to carers serving the lifecycle of care needs, from childcare to elder care, to pet care and house care.  In addition to efficiency, Care.com UK provides several tools and resources for the security of its members, including a trained and dedicated local team reviewing carer profiles for suspicious and inappropriate content, secure messaging, reference checking services, and a growing collection of articles and resources on the interviewing and hiring process.

Additionally, Care.com is working with UK care experts, including Bestbear.co.uk which provides reference checking, to help develop its UK service and additional educational content.

"Care.com has realised that there is a problem which needs solving in the UK care landscape," said Sherry Coutu, advisory board member at Care.com.  "Companies can do lots of wonderful things with technology, but it is only meaningful if they can solve real problems.  We at Care.com are great supporters of enabling carers -- the vast majority of whom are women -- to remain in the workplace, and with the secure messaging systems and clever search tools, Care.com has everything carers and families need to find each other."

About Care.com

Founded in 2006, Care.com (www.care.com) is the largest and fastest growing service used by families seeking high-quality care providers, providing a place to easily connect with hundreds of thousands of care providers, share care giving experiences and get advice. The company helps families address the unique lifecycle of care needs that each family goes through - child care, senior care, special needs care, tutoring, pet care, housekeeping and more. Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, technology companies, and professional services firms offer Care.com memberships as a benefit to employees through its Workplace Solutions program.

In 2012, Care.com began to expand its service internationally and, through its subsidiary, Care.com Europe LTD, now provides an online forum for UK families and carers to connect with each other, arrange care, and share advice.

Care.com does not employ, recommend, or endorse any caregivers or care seekers nor is it a recruitment or other agency.  Care.com provides information and tools to help members make informed decisions.  However, members are solely responsible for selecting an appropriate employer or caregiver for themselves or their family, and employers are solely responsible for obtaining and reviewing any necessary CRB or other identity, verification, background, or reference checks before hiring a caregiver and for verifying the age of the caregiver they select, as well as that caregiver's eligibility to work in the UK.

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