Goal: To boost awareness of what's happening at the centre and take-up of activities
Contact: ruth.bigger@barnardos.org.uk
Text messages can be a simple and effective way to keep in touch with parents. That's certainly the experience of Hyde Children's Centre in Tameside, which uses a web-based text service.
"It's a method we use to work with those families that could be defined as hard to reach, although they're not really hard to reach if you've got the right tools," says Ruth Bigger, children's services manager for Barnardo's, which leads on family support and community outreach at the council-run centre.
The service has proved popular with the centre's dads' group (pictured). "It is a good service as it reminds me the dads' group is on," says James Gradwell-Spencer. "I'd only forget otherwise."
Family support workers also use text messages to remind individual families when they will be popping round. Centre staff have found the system works best with small groups as it's easier to keep track of people's mobile phone numbers.
There are plans to develop a system that will allow people to text back, which opens up the potential to use it for consultations.
