31 August 2005

Healthy Start Online: A great new resource for practitioners

The new Healthy Start website, now being reviewed by users, will be launched in just three weeks.
The new site provides the Healthy Start national network with a valuable set of tools. Using this site, practitioners will interact and access up-to-date resources quickly.

"The site represents an online community of practice, where practitioners all over Australia can connect, find materials and share knowledge", said Healthy Start Project Coordinator, Robyn Mildon.
"The new site will help collaboration and communication between network members, which in turn helps provide the best outcomes for families."

Linking experts and professionals together, the site will include easy access to program and research information, resources on best practice and profiles for all Healthy Start learning hubs.
The site's official launch will take place on September 30th 2005 and will be accompanied by a launch event and media release.

Healthy Start is an unprecedented national strategy to provide extra support for parents with learning difficulties and for the professionals and organisations working with them.
Healthy Start provides much-needed extra assistance by:

• creating a national professional network for practitioners; and
• making evidence-based programs widely available to parents and practitioners.

Healthy Start is a joint partnership between the University of Sydney's Australian Family and Disability Studies Research Collaboration and the Parenting Research Centre, and is funded by the Australian Government under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy.