Parents - do your online duty

NEWS Today sees the start of Parents Online Week, a government-backed initiative designed to demonstrate the educational benefits of the web to mums, dads and their children. The week-long series of special events was kicked off earlier today at the Kingwood Learning Centre in Fulham, London. The website which supports the programme has also been relaunched (http://www.parentsonline.gov.uk) . The site is now in its third year, and is part of a Department for Education and Skills (DfES) programme to help parents and their children make the most of the educational benefits of the internet. It features a range of quick links and searches so parents and children can find useful information easily as they learn together online, according to the DfES. Minister for Family Learning, Catherine Ashton, said: "The internet can make a real difference to children's learning and the Parents Online website offers access to a huge variety of sites for children as well as information on internet safety." Councillor David Williams, Hammersmith and Fulham Council's deputy for education, added: "Parents and carers can play an important role in supporting their children's education at home and the Parents Online website is an excellent tool to help them do this... The council is committed to providing the latest technology to enable the borough's residents and their children to realise their full potential. We have installed computers in libraries, adult education centres and community centres so that local people who don't have computers at home can gain free access to the internet." Any organisation can hold a Parents Online event over the next 12 months. For examples of Parents Online events already held during 2002 and other ideas see the case study section of the Parents Online website - http://www.parentsonline.gov.uk.