During the COVID-19 crisis riders have played a vital role in delivering food to people across the UK. We also know you care about the communities you ride in and value the chance to play an active role in them – many of you already do by volunteering and fundraising. That’s why we’ve partnered with children’s charity the NSPCC to help you keep children safe by knowing the signs of abuse and neglect, and to raise awareness of NSPCC’s adult helpline to the public.
COVID-19 means that children may be more out of sight than usual, especially with many of them being off school. During this time people who work within their community, like Deliveroo riders, can play an important role in helping keep children safe and spotting signs of potential danger.
Free online training for riders
Earlier this year a rider who works with Deliveroo contacted the NSPCC after becoming worried for a child’s welfare, and as a result action was taken to ensure the child’s safety.
Now the NSPCC are offering everyone who rides with Deliveroo free awareness training, so they know what signs to look out for and what to do if they’re worried about a child. The training is entirely voluntary and takes around 20 minutes.
We want as many riders as possible to do this, so in 2 weeks’ time, 5 riders who have completed the training will be selected at random to receive £500 in recognition of their help to keep children safe*.
Raise awareness with a helpline sticker
We’ve also designed stickers featuring the telephone number of the NSPCC’s adult helpline that you can put on your backpack to raise awareness in your community. Adults can ring the helpline if they’re worried about a child or if they need advice about looking after their own children, especially during lockdown where lots of parents have had to juggle homeschooling alongside work.
These stickers should be put on the side of your backpack so they don’t affect the reflectiveness of your bag in the dark.
What to do if you’re worried
All reports made to the NSPCC are kept completely anonymous. If you are ever worried about a child, you can:
- Call the NSPCC’s helpline on 0808 800 5000 anytime between 8am – 10pm Monday – Friday and 9am – 6pm on the weekend
- Email help@nspcc.org.uk
The NSPCC team is also able to arrange for a translator to be available if it would be easier to communicate the details of your concern in another language.
We’re proud to work with riders that seek to help others in need across the UK. We’re exploring other opportunities for you to get involved in your community, and we’re looking forward to telling you more about these soon.