Media Release by Senator the Hon Kay Patterson

Local website for children and family services

The Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, today officially launched the Onkaparinga Children and Families Website.

Senator Patterson said that funding of $30,000 was provided under the Government’s Family and Community Networks Initiative as a contribution to the cost of developing the website—a partnership between the Australian Government, the City of Onkaparinga and Infoxchange Australia.

The website will be an interactive information service for families. It will provide up-to-date information including:

  • family services in the Onkaparinga Council area
  • links to general family services sites
  • links to parenting information sites
  • chat sessions with other parents to exchange parenting information and experiences
  • information on family related events in the local area
  • useful and educational activities for children; and
  • links to educational sites.

“It is important to provide a range of options for delivering information. These days many people have access to computers, either at home or in community facilities, and it is a common way for information to be accessed. As children are growing up with computers they can easily use the website to obtain information and link them with useful activities,” Senator Patterson said.

“The website encourages communication and information exchange between service providers, parents and children,” Senator Patterson said.

In launching the website, Senator Patterson congratulated the Council for focusing on the needs of parents and children.

“They are clearly taking their community development role very seriously. Good parenting skills are very important and useful information at a critical time can really help parents and their children.

“The Australian Government, under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, has funded six other projects in the Onkaparinga area worth over $1 million.

“Over the past three and a half years the Strategy has been highly successful, funding projects that have helped Australians into jobs and training as well as providing access to a range of services that help strengthen family relationships and communities.”

“Building on the success of the Strategy since 2000, the Australian Government has allocated a further $365.8 million over the next four years for local initiatives that have an early intervention focus to help families, children and communities at risk.

“The new funding will be used to strengthen the Strategy’s focus on the early childhood years,” Senator Patterson said.