Policy Context and Legal Framework

Baby care does not only affect each European country but is also closely connected to many different
aspects of life, such as parenting, the workforce, the family and gender equality.

This eTEN funded market validation project addresses the European inclusion goal by providing a free e-service to all men, independent of their social status or origin.

It concentrates on one of society’s most vulnerable groups – babies – and highlights the importance of infant health care.

The user gets information on how to deal with child safety aspects and is informed of risks associated with the wrong use of baby-care products. In this sense, the project also addresses important product safety and injury prevention policy issues.

Further, the project responds to major requirements of the European Gender and Equality policies by
motivating a more equal parenting split.

Implementation and Management Approach

The overall aim of this Market Validation is to evaluate the capacities of the service deployment to other European Markets.

In order to reach as many potential users as possible, online and offline versions of the guide are available. The latter are distributed in form of CD ROMs via a network of practitioners and health institutions.
The market validation takes place in the partner countries. A comprehensive evaluation of the service from a user perspective with 500 test users and 250 prospective sponsor companies who will validate the service and the user acceptance will take place over a period of 18 months.

The project is coordinated by Webducation Software Development and Production, Austria.

The partner organizations are: Wyzsza Szkola Humanistyczni-Ekonomiczna (Poland), Donau Universitaet Krems (Austria), Euroface Consultings (The Czech Republic) Societatea Romana Pentru Educatie Permanenta (Romania), IDS International (The Netherlands).

Technology solution

The guide is based on Flash technology. The offline version is available as CD ROM.

Impact

The service is meant to raise men’s social awareness as well as provide them with didactically and medically sound information on child health care. By providing the guide free, socially or geographically disadvantaged people are not excluded from the service.

The service will be sustained with a mixed model: Revenues from private sponsors and public funding sources in in the target countries are envisaged.

Up to now, the prototype service is successfully established in Austria since 2004. More than 150.000 users have taken advantage of the service. The Austrian DAD is strongly supported by public authorities.

Track record of sharing

In the current phase of the project, the adapted DAD guides are uploaded to local internet platforms. These websites will on one hand offer advertising space for the sponsoring companies and secondly, serve as an interactive information platform accessible to each interested user.

The websites will combine the local DAD guides and online help desks, dealing with all relevant issues of baby care. Local experts will be available to support the visitors of the guide in their local language.

Every partner establishes local networks and seeks contact to already established baby care- or fatherhood networks. Both will appreciate the reciprocal benefit. The local test sites will offer interactive communication features and tools for community building.

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1 - Family- and parents- role models have undergone a significant change in the last years and require adequate responses. The DAD Project gives men the unique possibility to benefit from an e-learning tool, which is customized to their needs exclusively.

Lesson 2 - 150.000 users in Austria clearly demonstrate that fathers-to be are interested in baby care, when they are offered the right tool.

Lesson 3 - The declining demographical development indicate that babies are more important than ever. From a women’s perspective, this e-service aims at enhancing the chances of re-entry into the labour market by creating more equal sharing of parenting. Further, it should provide an incentive for reconsideration of and improvement of parental leave legislation in Europe.