This ongoing electronic forum is a place where human services professionals can understand the needs of working families, improve services, inform the public debate and move the public will. Participation in the roundtables is by invitation only and reflects geographical and ethnic diversity as well as a range of points of view. We are particularly interested in including groups that may not usually get an opportunity to participate in public policy discussions. Roundtable members introduce themselves, read messages, write thoughtful replies, and cite relevant research and resources in the project s online library. Participants are also invited to nominate others to join the roundtables.
Most participants log in for a total of one hour each week for the length of each roundtable.
Detailed agendas, summaries and final reports are posted to document the discussion. Membership includes search engine, news service, discussion forums, professional library, job bank, and action alerts as well as technical support and training as needed. Unlike chat, conferencing doesn't happen in real time, but happens over time. Participants can log in whenever they want, catch up on the discussion and join in. In an electronic mailing list, messages come chronologically to your email box.