Family Early Help
In this section, you'll find some examples of ways to help maintain a connected relationship with the family when you're working virtually using interactive methods like video, whiteboards and apps - all of them tried and tested by family workers!
Interactive Whiteboards
There are a range of interactive platforms that have a whiteboard that you and a child could use together (like remote drawing).
Important note: never use an interactive whiteboard or platform to identify either you, the child or the parent, or to disclose or record any sensitive or confidential information. We must protect confidentiality, data protection and a family's right to privacy, and always ask the parents permission before using any interactive tool with children.
If you do use an interactive whiteboard during virtual direct work, you should save the board as a PDF and upload it as an attachment to the child's file in Mosaic as a record of the content and work done.
If in any doubt, talk with Sarah Laws and the Information Rights Team or Patrick Keane in Information Security first.
Google Jamboards
Google Jamboards are free to use if you have a Gmail account. You could think about using a Jamboard during a virtual visit, where you and the family use it at the same time. You can post sticky-notes, draw, insert images or emojis and lots more. Its another creative way to make a virtual visit engaging and entertaining.
Here is a link to a tutorial on Google Jamboards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1qS6avlnaE
and here is an example of using a Google Jamboard interactively (example is not from Camden). In this example, the worker is exploring a worry that a child is experiencing. They inserted the picture of the worrymeter and asked the child to use the virtual Jamboard pen to draw an arrow to how big the worry was. The child also chose an emoji to show how the worry made them feel and put it on the board.
The worker then used sticky notes and another image (of the Star Breathing) to help start exploring what the child could do to help that worry feel smaller.
MS Teams Whiteboard
Microsoft Whiteboard is a free-form, digital canvas. Teams meeting participants draw, sketch, and write together on the canvas.
Users can share a whiteboard to make it available to all participants in a Teams meeting. So if you were having a virtual visit with a family over Teams, you can all use the whiteboard at the same time.
The Teams whiteboard is more limited in what it can do than Jamboard or Miro (it is literally pens and sticky notes) but does have the advantage of being tied to your Camden email account.
More information on how to use the Whiteboard here
Miro
Miro is another interactive platform, but has a much wider range of tools than Jamboards. You can find a tutorial about Miro here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pULLAEmhSho
Pets!
Many of you are finding your pets, and the pets that children have, are a lovely way to connect, build a relationship, and explore feelings and emotions together.
Music and Dance
If the kids you're working with love music or dancing, why not share some dance moves with them! Doing this taps into their personal interests, shows them how important the things they enjoy are to you, and could help to develop rapport, trust and a positive relationship.
Heres a youtube video shared by a FSCF worker, where they and the child learned the routine together during a video call (lots of fun was reported). The worker was then able to talk with the child about other routines at home, why routines matter, and how they could apply the learning from the dance routine to their 'home' routine. Clever!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sxifR0Ltqk
Spotify Playlists
Another way to bring music into direct work. A child, young person or parent could create a spotify playlist of all the songs they love, or that provoke memories or feelings for them, which could be shared with the worker to listen to. Could help start conversations and explore the persons world with them.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2fbUQIKSBTohTK6tHaFGYV
Thinking About Apps in Remote Direct Work
Using apps can be another helpful way to interact remotely with a child, young person or parent. Apps might also help you adapt some of the games or activities that you might have used as physical resources before COVID.
If you're thinking about using apps, there are a number of things to consider including:
* is there a fee for the app?
* does the app contain adverts and are you sure they are appropriate for the age of the child?
* is the app safe for the child or young person to have on their phone/tablet/laptop?
* has the parent given permission for the child to use the app you are suggesting?
* if the app has in-app purchases, have you considered how the parent can disable them?
* has data privacy been considered?
Please make sure you have considered all these questions and any other potential risks or challenges before using apps in your remote direct work. Always ask a parents permission before using an app, and send the app to the parent for them to review it before using it with a child.
Some Example Apps
(check that the above questions have been answered before using any app in direct work)
Snakes and Ladders App - to help explore all sorts of things like goals, risks, consquences, things that we find hard (snakes), things that help (ladders) etc
Conversation Starters App - an interactive app where you can each ask each other a question to help get to know each other better (like a virtual conversation cube)
Jenga App - always a favourite for direct work, some of the online Jenga apps allow you to invite someone to play with you. Make a list of topics or questions that you could ask for every brick you remove safely from the stack
Uno App - a gentle game to play as part of a direct work session warm up or to play during a conversation, Uno Friends allows for two-player where one of you sets up a room and the other joins the room using a code.