|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A breakup can be one of the most heart-wrenching things a couple can go through,
made even worse when children are involved.
It can be tough on everyone, and in tense situations things can be said in the heat of
the moment, and arguments can flare up over the most minor things. Meanwhile the
child/children are inevitably caught in the middle.
This is the situation Adam Dobbs found himself in when he and his partner separated. He
spent the next seven years in family court; a place he said was the worst for forming their
new life for their now 9-year-old son.
It was at this time he decided to design Parent Daily, an app that allows ex-partners
effectively and amicably with each other.
Dobbs said Parent Daily acts as a fire break between parents who are in conflict, and
allows them both to co-parent their children. Both parties can upload important
events and appointments about their child’s life, keeping things organised, friendly and
focussed on what matters: their child.
These might be doctor’s appointments, birthday parties, or a reminder about whose
turn it is to pick up their child from school. If they do need to communicate
directly then a messenger feature is included that has a tone meter that checks any
messages for potential negativity and suggests some subtle changes before hitting send.
Each message is time-stamped and dated to show the lines of communication, which can be helpful for legal proceedings.
“Essentially you have a channel between both parents, that they can use to schedule
a calendar, with all their kid’s activities on it. Their sporting events, their medications,
any emergency contacts they have, and all their other requirements.
“Everything can be uploaded to a central place, so parents don’t have to talk to each
other. It really is your kid’s life within the app. If you’re unsure of anything you just
refer to their profile where everything’s laid out, so you don’t have to contact the
other parent,” Dobbs told the Franklin Times.
Dobbs happened to see an advertisement for Innovation Franklin’s Shark Tank on
Facebook one night and saw it as a challenge to help further his app.
After applying he was given the news that he would be one of the contestants
pitching Parent Daily to a panel of eight judges.
“I just spoke from my heart, as a dad who wanted things to be better, and when I left
I was very proud of myself because it was big thing to do, and then I found out I had been picked as a winner.”
Dobbs has spoken to several people in schools and education centres, as well as
family court judges about the app’s potential, and the feedback has been highly
positive.
“The app is for any couples separated, but especially helpful for those who need the Family
Court system. There’s 60,000 plus cases every year – that’s 120,000 parents who have got to the stage where they can’t talk to each other and have to use the court system.
“If this app was available to me day one my whole situation would have been
completely different.”
Dobbs hopes to launch Parent Daily in February next year once the app has been thoroughly tested.
Innovation Franklin ran Shark Tank for the first time this year. Finalists were selected to
present their ideas, or already emerging businesses, to a panel of eight experienced “sharks”.
Each finalist was given 15 minutes to pitch, followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers with the judges.
Dobbs took home $10,000 worth in prizes, including $2,500 cash, financial literacy seminar,
legal advice, business mentoring, leadership coaching, web strategy, hotdesking space, and
professional photography and videography.
The other three finalists were Jamie Lee, Jackson Durham, and Jennifer Stone.
Shark Tank will return in 2026, and organisers said that if this year is anything to go by, the future is looking very bright for innovation in Franklin.
