The Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), which has been protecting children and championing their rights since 1889, has recently completed a major re-vamp of its website. It originally went live three years ago. A former ISPCC employee, Derville Stacey, who has training in web mastering, has now completely updated the society's Internet presence. The site is a very good information resource for parents and children.
As well as information on Childline, which most people will already be familiar with, The Kids Zone section also features the Children's Rights Information Bureaux (CRIB) - an initiative designed to strengthen and highlight the notion of children as full citizens enjoying the same rights as adults - and STEPS, which is a network of youth advice and drop-in centres, which they call "a face-to-face version of Childline where children and young people can drop in to explore their feelings and experiences". The Parents Zone section is bound to see a lot of traffic with its sections on beating stress and preparing for a baby. These areas offer good, practical advice of use to any parent.
Stacey says that they are hoping to update the site on a regular basis: "One thing we would see is that it will evolve with feedback. We are very interested in finding out what young people feel the site could be useful for.
"We see the advantage of the website as being one of reach, that it can be more responsive. The Internet is much more immediate and live and interactive than brochures.
One of the most interesting features of the site is the Debating Forum. This section invites young people to debate a current topic giving them a forum to air their views. Issues such as the proposed change of the age of criminal responsibility in Ireland from seven to 12 are given a responsible and healthy airing. You can e-mail your thoughts on this topic through the site.
Details of training modules designed by the ISPCC and leaflets and information booklets published by them are also available on the site.
Overall, the site is bright, colourful and easy to navigate. The content could be beefed up, and the text of reports relating to children's welfare should be included if possible, but no doubt this will all come in time.
