Overview
With over 25% of Australian kids being overweight or obese, the local government area (LGA) of South-West Sydney wanted to implement a strategy to reduce these numbers and positively impact the health and wellbeing of youth in this region. In doing so, they wanted to create a centralised hub of community-centric activities, groups, support networks, and events to involve youth and parents with young children in the improvement of health for Australians in the Liverpool and Bankstown areas. To do this, local government needed a website and web application built that could be self-sustained and managed internally. The South-West Sydney local government therefore approached Intergy with this goal, and we were able to complete the project in a timely manner.
We at Intergy support the premise of this goal and completed this groundbreaking project as we believe in promoting healthy activities and habits within local Australian communities. Given that the project’s primary focus was on fostering healthy lifestyles for kids, babies, toddlers, pregnant women, and adolescents, we strongly identified with the need for smart technology to aid in the improvement of physical and mental health, and commenced work on the project after an initial discussion with the local government.
Objective
The primary objective of the project was to design and develop a comprehensive government website that not only provides information on healthy activities and diets but also serves as a platform for community engagement and event management. Intergy took on the challenge of creating a bespoke solution, tailoring every aspect of the website to meet the unique requirements of GHK. According to local government, the primary goals of GHK are to:
- Provide clinical services for children aged 2 to 17 years at a secondary level of care.
- Support professionals in the medical/healthcare sector to consistently assess the growth of children and young people on a physical and mental basis, and provide any support services as required in this capacity.
- Provide evidence-based care, fostering further initiatives based on evaluating current methods and new research data.
The Solution
Technology Stack
Key Features and Functionalities
Customisable Web Pages
The website allows local government personnel to create an unlimited number of web pages within predefined templates, ensuring easy and efficient content management.
Streamlined Backend and Enhanced Security
By avoiding third-party plugins, Intergy streamlined the backend hygiene and core framework within Drupal. This not only simplified the management of the website but also significantly increased its security.
Community Engagement and Event Management
The platform serves as a hub for community engagement, providing information on local activities, events, and healthy practices. It also incorporates features for managing community events seamlessly.
Third-Party Integration
While maintaining a focus on bespoke development, Intergy integrated essential third-party tools such as Google Analytics and Google Adwords to enhance the website's performance and analytics capabilities.
Project Outcomes for GHK and Government
Self-Managed Capability
GHK received a fully self-managed website at handover. This empowers local government personnel to update and create content without dependence on external support. This means that programs for physical activities to achieve the goal of reducing obesity in the community can be planned at a moment’s notice, and put on the site for parents to encourage their children to participate in.
Enhanced Security
Minimising third-party functionalities reduced potential vulnerabilities, ensuring a secure web environment for GHK and its users. This is incredibly important in the case of GHK as the primary users are adolescents and parents with young children. Protecting the data of these vulnerable parties is absolutely paramount, and Intergy have worked hard to ensure that any risks involving security breaches and personal information are mitigated for local government.
Scalability and Flexibility
Drupal's scalability ensures that the website can grow with the evolving needs of GHK. The flexible architecture allows for easy modifications and additions. Given that 21.4% of households in this LGA have young children (under the age of 12, ABS 2021), this service is set to grow in future, and government needed the assurance that the Drupal solution would scale with the population of South-West Sydney. Intergy has achieved this and we can confirm that the service has successfully scaled since launch, and will continue to do so, without the need for third-party interference.
Public Sector Excellence
This project underscores Intergy's capability to deliver high-quality solutions within the public sector. The successful completion of the GHK initiative highlights Intergy's commitment to contributing to community well-being through bespoke development. We empathise with local government’s goal of reducing overweight and obesity statistics in Australia, especially when it comes to children – and this project allowed us to use our expertise in web development to show that modern technology can offer solutions to issues surrounding physical and mental wellbeing.
Conclusion
The Growing Healthy Kids project stands as a testament to Intergy Consulting's capabilities in custom web application development, particularly in the realm of public sector projects. By choosing Drupal as the exclusive framework, we not only met but exceeded the expectations of GHK, providing them with a secure, scalable, and easy-to-manage platform. This case reinforces Intergy's dedication to creating tailored solutions that positively impact communities and contribute to the greater good.
