Fathers' group to go online

4:53pm Thursday 6th March 2008

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A new project to create a website which serves the needs of fathers in Oxfordshire has been launched on an Oxford estate.

The Oxondads.com venture was unveiled at Rose Hill and Littlemore Children's Centre in The Oval, Rose Hill.

The website, which is not yet online, is the brainchild of the Oxfordshire Parenting Forum, which provided to help set it up.

It is hoped the site will become a "one-stop shop" for the county's fathers who can feel alienated by traditional parenting services.

Chris Sewell, of Oxfordshire County Council's children and families service, said: "It will be a forum for dads to find and share information about things that relate to being fathers.

"It will also be, over time, the place where we can consult fathers about issues that may affect them.

"At the moment we are just looking for ideas and for people to tell us what they would like to see on the site.

"The group behind it is called Think Dad, which is a task group of the Oxfordshire Parenting Forum."

As well as providing online information, Oxondads.com is also expected to help dads meet in person for group activities.

Mr Sewell said: "We will have meetings and outings for fathers to take their children to - places like the Cotswold Wildlife Park.

"I would like to be optimistic and say hopefully something will be up and running online within six months.

"The people I have spoken to so far think it is a great idea. There is a network of six to eight 'Saturdads' groups locally, where fathers take their kids at weekend, and they have said they want something like this."

Justine Longford, who designs websites for Oxfordshire County Council, said: "It is something I feel really passionate about.

"The website will give dads from throughout Oxfordshire the chance to access information and be signposted along to the services we provide.

"There are lots of websites already out there, but it does not help you if you are in a rural part of the county - this new site can give them a link to other local dads and services."