Information is available here from Goldsmiths College who are evaluating 'Parenting in the 21st Century'.
The Executive Summary for the Interim Evaluation Report follows:
Interim Results - Executive Summary
Parenting in the Twenty-First Century is a three-year project funded under 'Leonardo da Vinci'. It involves 19 European partners, who work with parents, run training programmes, or accredit and develop qualifications for professionals working with parents. The aim of the project is to create a sustainable and vibrant network to exchange expertise and promote vocational development among European practitioners working with parents.
At interim stage the partnership demonstrated clear strengths in terms of
- dissemination of its work to practitioners and policy-makers,
- building purposeful contacts with project partners,
- and working towards individual aims and objectives.
Difficulties emerged around
- utilising the website as a medium for discussion and exchange,
- management and leadership,
- and setting aims and objectives for some of the partners.
At interim stage Parenting in the 21 st Century emerged as an innovative project, as it is the first network to bring together key European organisations involved in working with parents. Project activities were valid and congruent with the original project proposal in that they explored vocational standards, curricula and training schemes in the parenting education and support sector within a European framework. Dissemination and related activities had taken place and further conferences were in planning. Partners' work showed great potential for valorisation in the professional community, particularly with regard to the development and implementation of NOS and the creation of new affiliations with organisations outside the partnership. The transnational element of the project was highly valued and utilised among partners. In the area of partnership organisation, however, difficulties were reported over a lack of focus to partners' exchanges and discussions, and the use of the website in particular. The following recommendations section will therefore in particular look at these aspects of the project.
Recommendations
- A mission statement should be drafted by the project lead. The statement should outline the common values and principles of the project partners with regard to working with parents. It should then be circulated among all project partners for review and discussion. Once agreed, it should be posted on the website to heighten the project's public profile on the one hand and motivation and sense of purpose among partners on the other hand.
- Partners who have not already done so should identify up to three aims and objectives that they would like to have achieved by the end of the project. Those partners who have not yet sent their formative and interim questionnaires to the project evaluators should do so as soon as possible.
- The central agent needs to take a lead and provide ongoing partnership management to the project. Particular attention is needed in the area of communication. The project lead and all project partners should take steps to ensure that partners communicate regularly and that they are aware of each other's work, successes and difficulties. For example, the central agent could take a lead in facilitating exchanges by chairing discussions (actual and virtual). A regular newsletter or press release posted on the website and e-mailed to the partners would be a useful method of reporting on the activities of the project.
- A one-page user guide to the website should be produced and sent to all members. This guide should explain how to upload and download documents, and how to participate in e-groups. It should also contain contacts for IT support and information about arrangements for translations.
- All partners need to submit regular website contributions. Partners need to utilise the Leonardo website to announce conferences well in advance and to inform other project partners as well as the wider public of their general activities.
- The website should contain links to all partner organisations.
