Flintshire County Council’s Family Information Service, in partnership with the Health Centre in Connah’s Quay, has installed an electronic information point on the first floor of the town’s Health Centre.
The touch screen device is for members of the public, and professionals working with families, to access information on a range of services and support available on the internet.
The touch screen facility means it’s easy to navigate through over 120 pre-programmed websites which are categorised in the following groups:-
- Early Years and Childcare
- Family Learning and Parenting Programmes
- Education, Schools and Libraries
- Employment, Money and Housing
- Health, Leisure and Staying Safe
- Support and Advice for Parents and Carers
- Special Needs Support and Advice
- Information for Young People
- Information for Professionals
A free-phone handset is also available to contact a number of organisations such as Flintshire County Council and the Benefits Agency who operate a telephone helpline as part of their service.
Users can also either print off information at the Health Centre or they can email a website link to their personal email account to view the information at home.
A similar Information Point has been installed at Holywell Leisure Centre for 18 months and results in an average of 60 accessed websites per week. A further Information Point is also being installed at the Westwood Centre in Buckley.
Councillor Carol Ellis, Executive Member said:-
“This is a great facility for families in the Connah’s Quay area. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that not everyone has access to the internet, and not everyone is comfortable with the technology either. With easy-to-use touch screen technology, and a menu of useful categories to choose from, this is the perfect solution.”
Carol Salmon, Head of Social Services for Children at Flintshire County Council said:-
“The installation of this information point in the new building reflects the need for information to be easily and quickly accessible. It will act as a repository for information on services across the county. Given the challenges ahead we predict a growing need for information on the support services available and hope that technology of this kind will fulfil this need, at least in part, for Connah’s Quay residents.”
Kevin Meyrick, Practice Manager of St Mark’s Dee View Surgery based at the Health Centre said:-
“The Quay Health Centre is a magnificent facility with huge potential to serve our community. We are very happy to support the Community Services Directorate of Flintshire County Council and we see the installation of this device as a valuable service to our community, providing easy access to accurate and helpful information at a convenient location.”
