The project was created in response to the difficult situation of single parents (SP) and the all-European need to support this target group. It reacts as well to a consistent need for training of professionals working with SP families and fragile families. The project also addresses parents/families in general, with the aim of streghtening functional models, helping families at risk and preventing further problems in societies. The project aims to increase public awareness of the situation of SP and believes that the dissemination will lead to a less biased view of SP and their needs. It also points at fragility and demanding nature of parenting in today’s quickly changing European societies. Specific objectives: 1. Provide accredited, accessible and high-quality L&D opportunities for SP and fragile families as well as those who work with them. Providing courses to these families as well as to professionals will help to achieve sustainability of the outcomes and their repeated use. 2. Implement new technologies in a meaningful way so as to foster involvement of all types of learners and facilitate efficient and long-lasting learning. 3. Prevent or decrease poverty and exhaustion, and thus prevent further social risks and behavioural disturbances in SP and fragile families, including negative outcomes of children growing up in these families. 4. Prevent family conflict or break up by stressing family resilience The project exploits results of previous projects on SP and adult education and additionaly develops educational modules both for parents and professionals from a wide variety of organizations. We plan to involve both types of learners more intensively in the online learning and maximise the long-term outcomes of the learning for them. The four outputs are open online courses/blended learning courses focused on the four groups to provide holistic, sustainable support to SP and parents: O1. disadvantaged SP aiming to succeed at the labour market (long-term course New Horizons) O2. professionals working with disadvantaged SP (course for New Horizons facilitators Professional Development Award in Family Support) O3. single parents in need of specialized support and parents from families at risk (Parenting, Relationships and Life Skills for Stronger Families, a series of short online courses collateral to New Horizons) O4. professionals providing parental or family support to parents/families at risk (extensive online course Family RESILIENCE) MULTIPLIER EVENT “Stronger Parents, Stronger Families: Towards Stronger Community” 1 day seminar for stakeholders, held in Prague and available on-line. TRAINING ACTIVITIES Short-term joint staff training events: - Staff training on long-term course for single parents - Staff training on online course for facilitators - Staff training on online courses for families - Staff training on online course for professionals METHODOLOGY - Developing online or blended courses on Moodle platform, using self-assessment tools, text, graphics, examples - Qualitative and quantitative surveys of participants’ experience - Collaboration in transnational teams to ensure intercultural relevance and experience transfer - Mutual experience exchange and evaluation RESULTS The project will also produce: - Cooperation contract and other documents specifying the project activities in more detail (plan and policy for dissemination) - Updated database of contacts of relevant stakeholders - Database of resources (publications, methods, tools) for developing L&D activities for the target groups - Collection of different approaches and methodologies in L&D activities for single parents and parents, and for professionals working with them - Database of tools for monitoring the quality of outputs - Results and methodology of a qualitative research describing the situation of single parents and parents in the partners' countries - Web pages with the project outputs and shared experience in each partner's websites IMPACT: 1. Single parents: prevention of or progress out of social exclusion, poverty and exhaustion 2. Children of single parents: prevention of long-term detrimental effects on school outcomes and well-being 3. Fragile families: avoidance or resolution of stressful situations/conflict through increased competence and resilience 4. Professionals: increased confidence and ability to serve diverse types of families 5. Stakeholders: new tools for target groups and a ground for new measures for SP 6. Society as a whole: increased awareness of needs of single parents and fragile families via dissemination activities