Imperial College London has introduced an emergency child and eldercare service.
University staff can now access emergency childcare, school holiday cover and backup adult and eldercare.
The scheme, which is provided by My Family Care, is designed to provide staff with greater flexibility to manage their work and family responsibilities.
The university will cover the registration cost to My Family Care but employees must pay for any services they use.
Staff can also access a website which provides advice, information and support as well as resources on school holiday activities.
Professor James Stirling, provost at Imperial College London, said: “Imperial recognises that parents and carers, that make up a significant proportion of our staff, can find it challenging to juggle the demands of work and family.
“This service is part of our continuing commitment to ensuring that Imperial staff receive the support and help that they need to balance these responsibly.”
Ben Black, director of My Family Care, added: “Imperial College London is just one of the many organisations that are being forward-thinking enough to put family-friendly values at the top of the agenda.
“If employees know they have that safety net of having some extra help if they have a childcare or eldercare crisis, then they will inevitably be more engaged, able to work and loyal to an organisation they can rely on to help them and their family out.”