Award-winning Government Online Service Goes Live!
Added: (Tue Oct 23 2001)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
MEDWAY PARENTING PROJECT GOES LIVE – 22/10/2001
MyVal Ltd. the leading games and development company and Medway Council announce the launch of the Positive Parenting Network service (www.medwayppn.org). In May the service won an Innovation Award at the Government Computing 2001 Conference in the Joined-Up Government section.
“It's an intricate, highly dynamic but easy-to-use network, designed to put parents, carers and local family support workers from a variety of organizations in touch with each other. They can all find relevant information in a community-based setting.” commented David Hunter, MyVal's CEO.
The Positive Parenting Network boasts web-based email, user profiling, online tutorials, dynamic calendars, frequently asked questions, and co-brandable weblet systems to enable local Medway agencies to set up their own sites and communicate with local parents directly. These weblets make up the 'brain' of the system, where approved professionals and agencies can recommend appropriate books, enter discussions, answer questions, put up events in the calendar or include general information and contact details for the users.
Mary Crowley, Chief Executive of the Parenting Education & Support Forum described the Positive Parenting Network as "the most exciting development in local multi-agency work in years. It has enormous potential to benefit families as well making the job of practitioners more rewarding."
In little over two months Medway Council has now signed up over half of their target number of local agencies to participate in and contribute to the system. This strategy, of involving existing local support agencies fully, helping them share information and gain direct access to and relationships with local parents is central to the project. “The Positive Parenting Network is all about maximizing the already-existing units of expertise in the area, whether they be parents or agencies, rather than funding and performing a one-way Council-led information flow.” explained Harry Harrison, Project Manager at Medway Council. “ It’s effective because it’s local, providing the key to family support in the neighbourhood.”
Originally funded through HM Treasury’s Invest to Save Budget (ISB) programme, early discussions are under way to roll-out the system with other councils and authorities around the UK. “As a successful example of what the ISB programme is trying to achieve, we are keen to share with other councils what we’ve learned from the project and help them address similar community needs.” confirmed Mr. Harrison.
Ends
Contact: David Hunter, MyVal Limited (www.myval.com)
d.hunter@myval.com, 0207 793 4278, 07803 299135