Header image (CCO Serena Terry homeschools 5 year old son Alfie)
Northern Irish social prescribing company Elemental Software has announced that it's giving staff paid time off each day to home-school their children.
The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on everyone in Northern Ireland, but it's been particularly challenging for working parents. Schools have been opened and then closed again repeatedly over the past several months, and are currently closed with all pending GCSE, AS, and A-Level exams cancelled.
Schools have been adapting to remote learning where possible, putting many parents in the complicated situation of having to help home-school children while they are still working from home. Derry-based tech firm Elemental Software has taken the positive step of giving all of its staff with children time off each day to help balance the load.
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Elemental Software was founded to promote social prescribing, a method of referring people to non-medical support services such as fitness classes and healthy cooking programmes. The company's digital platform is provided to GPs to help them to prescribe non-medical wellbeing interventions.
Jennifer Neff, CEO and Co-founder, commented: "Leeann and I are both mothers and know first-hand the strain that working from home and parenting can put on you. We also know the importance of ensuring our children have a routine and continue learning, something that’s not always easy when both parents are still working and schools are closed."
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Leeann Monk-Ozgul, COO and Co-founder of Elemental Software, commented: "The ‘Covid Effect’ on people and on families is real, and we are proud to be playing our part by working with organisations in health, housing, education, VCSE, employability, and prison care to ensure people get the support they need. We also feel that, as employers, it is important that we practice what we preach and ensure that we’re supporting our staff during such tough times."
Source: Written based on press release
