Year: 2016

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• All the pupils involved have been more engaged, presenting their Wikis at their EHC meetings and Annual Reviews
• Pupils are showing much greater self-esteem and an ability to cope better with difficult situations

The Royal Free Hospital Children’s School (RFHCS) is a community Special School for pupils aged 5 to 16. It offers high quality education for all children who are inpatients at the Royal Free Hospital and for some children who are not inpatients but who are receiving support from medical or mental health services and may benefit from attending the school on a daily basis. The school operates within a multidisciplinary framework; working closely with a range of professionals including consultant doctors, mental health professionals, physiotherapists, speech therapists and other agencies.

Alex Yates, Headteacher, introduced Multimedia Advocacy and Rix Wikis, to pupils and staff at the school in September 2104. The results have been extremely positive. Alex states:

“Multimedia Advocacy is a really effective way of using media to communicate the wants and needs of children and young people, especially those with a large number of professionals involved across a number of sectors. Multimedia advocacy shows that even the little things are important and each individual has the right to change something if they wish.”

Case study

Purpose

What were your reasons for doing this development work?

• Building on research from UEL around effective pastoral planning and in response to new Code of Practice and the emphasis on CYP’s voice being placed at the centre of planning.
• There was also a need to codify and improve our own approach to planning around education, health and care.

How were you intending to improve pupil learning?

• Clearer sense of ownership of both academic targets and those related to personal development.
• It gives the student more power/control over their lives e.g. they make choices based on their own preferences.
• It is a great way of keeping everyone that supports an individual in the loop, but most importantly putting the individual child right at the centre of their own plans.
• It makes use of digital photography/ audio and video to organise thinking, reinforce memories, communicate preferences and viewpoints.

Who were the identified target learners?

• The target here is RFHCS Day School – generally outpatient referrals with significant medical and mental health challenges supported by large multi-agency teams.  But the approach could be applied in any pastoral context.

What were your success criteria?

• Improved attendance.
• Improved engagement from multi-agency teams around the child.
• Pupils achieving relevant SMART targets.
• Parents/carers and other professionals engaging with the process.

What specific curriculum area did you intend to have impact on?

• All – including specific outcomes for individuals Post-16

Methodology

What did you do – what teaching approaches did you use?

• Two school ‘champions’ undertook a 12 week training programme then led group sessions with young people.
• The school utilised online ‘Wiki Sites’. Wikis are simple and accessible, private and secure easy-to-build personal websites. They can be used to create multimedia person-centred plans that use pictures, words, video and sound to capture the voice, skills, aspirations and needs of the individual. Wikis give ownership of the planning process to individuals and families, facilitating genuine collaboration between parents, teachers and professionals.

What specific teaching resources did you use?

• The online ‘Wiki Sites’ allowed pupils to build their portfolio in different ways, depending on the needs of an individual, for example: a curriculum vitae, a person-centred plan, health action plan, a support plan or a record of achievements.

What CPD experiences, materials, research and expertise have you drawn on?

• Rix Research & Media is a research and development centre based at the University of East London.
• Its expertise is in making IT and new media technologies bring real benefit to the learning disability community and beyond. Rix has been delivering Multimedia Advocacy training courses to education and care professionals for almost ten years and has worked with key education, health and care providers in the UK to help them improve their services.
• At RFHCS we focused particularly on Circles of Support, two stages, first is based on working with the Relationship Circle tool to identify existing people in the person’s life. The second stage is building on the existing Relationship Circle, identifying the gaps and actively finding ways of making new connections and more effective strategies for support.

Outcomes and Impact

What has been the impact on pupil learning?

• Builds IT skills and self-confidence
• Creates more effective support network that is focused on improving outcomes
• Improved opportunities for aspiring, learning and achieving.

Evidence of impact on pupil learning

• LAMS Reports (Looking at Myself and School)
• ECM Profile Data
• Learner Profile
• Year 11 Outcomes

What has been the impact on teaching?

• More transparent, child-centred practice.

Evidence of impact on teaching

• LSAs have developed technical skills and confidence that help them personally and professionally.

What has been the impact on school organisation and leadership?
Outcomes for staff:

• Gain wider knowledge of applications for IT and assistive technology in the SEN classroom
• Gain a new understanding of person-centred approaches and how to apply them in your practice
• Transition arrangements more robust

Evidence of impact on school organisation and leadership

• Very much In line with SEND policy and new legislation/reforms and Brian Lamb’s report
• Professional staff development linked to National policy objectives and reforms
• Develops your services with the latest methods and approaches
• Improves staff retention with meaningful learning and satisfying personal development

Sharing Practice

If another individual or school was attempting to replicate this work, where should they start?

Contact Rix Research & Media Coordinator at rixadmin@uel.ac.uk or on 0208 223 7561

What would be the essential elements to include?

Appoint school based champions to undertake the online Rix Wiki Builders Course in Multimedia Advocacy

Waldo Roeg is a CNWL Peer Recovery Trainer and an author of the Health and Wellbeing Plan. Two years ago he was invited to be a part of a pilot project which sought to bring multimedia into the trust as a form of self-advocacy.

“I have used services for 30 years and I know what it’s like to feel as if you don’t have a voice,” he says “but when I was first shown the Wiki I immediately saw it as a fantastic tool that could be used to help advocate for individuals like myself.”

Since the Wiki’s introduction into the recovery college Waldo has worked alongside Rix to create a Health and Wellbeing plan Wiki.

“I have worked in films for a long time and I love storytelling. I love images and I think they are such a brilliant way of communicating our needs, our loves, and our desires. So to find a tool that is a natural fit with that is really exciting.”

Waldo himself has been developing his own Wiki Health and Wellbeing plan and really enjoys the media aspect of the Wiki.

“We use photographs to capture those important moments in our lives and to connect with not just those moments but with things that are important to us. This element of the Wiki has played a huge part in my rediscovering of my own value which had been lost to a certain degree.”

Unlike the paper plan, the Wiki changes an important element: the focus on the positive over the negative.

“It is a really fantastic vehicle for celebrating a person’s strengths rather than always focusing on the negative and that is of great value within mental health services”

says Waldo. He describes it as a “great vehicle for discussion.” The use of a Health and Wellbeing Plan Wiki is completely voluntary and is owned by the individual.

“Some people will chose not to engage in technology and they are welcome to create their plan however they would like, but there will also be people who will find the Wiki a really great way of actually having a voice that they may not have had before through this new multimedia tool.”

One of the biggest concerns of those considering the Wiki is technology. “I am a computer migrant,” Waldo says of his technology skills “and it took a little bit of getting used to,” but it is a small setback that once overcome can open the doors to a whole new world.

“The landscape of how we communicate, how we understand the world now is through these technological mechanisms. Nobody goes around without a mobile phone today and giving people who have been excluded from a lot of that social networking the opportunity to finally be a part of that social network, of being able to find support through the Wiki, makes a huge difference. We use technology and phones as an extension of ourselves and I think the Wiki is a fantastic opportunity to include people who have been excluded from social connectivity and enable them to have a voice.”

Waldo is excited to bring the Wiki to mental health services and believes that it is a

“universal tool with the capacity to serve a wide array of uses. The Wiki is pushing the boundaries of what people can and can’t do. It is pushing the boundaries of involving people in their own care and being able to advocate for themselves and what their needs are. We need to push those boundaries, be more inclusive and Wikis are the vehicle that are going to do that.”

To view case studies about other users of the Rix Wiki, please click here.

The Tower Project is a community based voluntary sector organisation and leading service provider for children and adults with a learning disability, sensory disability, autism, physical disability or health related issue.

Its award winning Job Enterprise and Training Service (JETS) is East London’s leading provider of specialist supported employment services for disabled people and people with long term health conditions.

Scott Kennedy, Training and Development Manager for JETS, is using a Multimedia Advocacy approach and Rix Wikis to enable the young people he works with to showcase their work experience, their skills and aptitudes.

He said, “Wikis mean the young people can develop an online, highly visual CV, with pictures and video clips demonstrating exactly how they are applying their skills in a work environment. They can also present an up to date record of all their achievements.”

“A prospective employer can get to know the young person in a matter of minutes, seeing very quickly what they are capable of and where their talents lie.”

JETS is currently involved in a new project with Hackney College, helping around 10 young people gain specific work experience in three different settings over four months. They will be working at the Olympic Park in Stratford, setting up an Easter market stall in Spitalfields Market and rolling up their sleeves to get stuck in at a social enterprise which provides a valeting service for community transport vehicles.

At the end of the four months, each young person will be awarded three Entry Level 3 Gateway Qualifications, in customer service, work experience and valeting proficiency.

The young people will be recording their experience and skills development each step of the way, through photos and film clips, updating their Wikis to show their progress and learning.

We will also be following them through the four months, seeing how they get on and celebrating their achievements. You’ll be able to get a regular update on their progress right here.

Update – 17/03/2016

The group has just completed their first project, working with Our Parklife in Stratford, and were delighted to receive their certificates at an award ceremony.

Graham Smithers, Head of Services, Tower Project, Job Enterprise and Training Service (JETS) said:

 “We would like to thank Our Parklife for their help with young people with special educational needs in east London, just 7% are in paid employment and schemes like this will go a long way to ensure that more young people with learning disabilities will gain paid employment in the future either at the Olympic Park or at similar thinking establishments.”

Rowan Longhurst, General Manager Our Parklife said:

 “It’s been fantastic having the students from the Tower Project join our dedicated team of Park Champion volunteers here at the Park. We’re committed to providing local young people with the opportunity to be the face of the Park through volunteering on a range of roles – whether it’s Customer services, event support or helping tend to the parklands. The skills they learn with us can open exciting new doors to a range of opportunities that are evolving on the Park all the time.”

Our Parklife is a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a mission to connect local people to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, by providing employment, training and volunteering opportunities.

Top left to right.

Layla Conway – London Legacy Development Corporation; Kadir Yilmaz (19); Mohammed Miraj (19); Sean Hoffman (19); Piergiorgio Carrus – Hackney Community College; Luis Pais (23); Scott Kennedy – Tower Project; Stephen Jackson – Our Parklife

Bottom left to right.

Michael Hogarth (18); Matthew Trew (21); Terrance Frank (20); Arran Graham (19)

Key fact

‘The National Audit Office report “Oversight of special education for young people aged 16-25”, published in November 2011, estimates that supporting one person with a learning disability into employment could, in addition to improving their independence and self-esteem, increase that person’s income by between 55 and 95 percent.’

We have been working with a group of parents who have children aged between 4 and 19 with varying disabilities and complex needs, all of whom either had an EHCP or were in the process of an EHCP, and all of whom confirmed that their child’s views were not sought during their EHCP process.

Only one parent confirmed that her child had been invited to their Annual Review (and stayed for two minutes); for the majority, their child had never been invited.

We wanted to explore how a Multimedia Advocacy approach and the Rix Wiki tool could improve their experience and participation in the EHCP process.  The results were very interesting.

Annual Reviews

Most parents felt that their child/YP could now attend, and contribute to, their Annual Review by using their Wiki.  One confirmed that her son was able to attend and participate in his Annual EHCP Review for the first time.

Collaboration and Communication with Professionals

Parents very much welcome the opportunity for professionals working with their child/YP to provide video input into their Wiki; all felt by having a Wiki their child’s/YP’s EHCP could be better co-ordinated in a joined up way.  For example, one child’s paediatrician provided medical information on their Wiki to aid with secondary school transition.

All parents strongly agreed that their child’s/YP’s communication will be better understood by everyone involved with their child’s/YP’s education and care by accessing their Wiki.

     “The short video of xxx singing the ABC song clearly showed how he tries to pronounce sounds, and this is instant information without having to spend time trying to speak to other professionals.  In time these clips will build to demonstrate improvement progress (or not).”

Comment from parent.

All parents felt that information could be shared in an effective way between professionals by using their child/YP’s Wiki.

     “Makes me and the family more reassured and less stressed to know that we have a way to communicate easily and effectively with others involved in his life”.

Comment from parent.

Transition

All parents felt that having a Wiki could facilitate a smoother transition between educational and residential settings.

     “Leaving home, this would be a fantastic tool to ensure support staff and work experience staff know everything”.
Comment from parent.

     “I can see how this will augment communication and sharing of information between my son and everyone working to support him. As he progresses into adulthood and away from home, we will be able to withdraw, confident that those responsible for him in the future will have access to his history and a clear picture of his current needs; will benefit from input from those who have known him best and xxx himself.”
Comment from parent.

     “I can see the enormous potential of the WIKI for xxx – who is nearly 20 years old.”
Comment from parent.

Achieving for Children (AfC) is a social enterprise company set up  by Kingston and Richmond Councils to provide targeted help and support to children and families in need within the two London boroughs.  It has partnered with Rix Research & Media to pioneer the use of Multimedia Advocacy and the Rix Wiki tool and training to embed person-centred approaches which, it believes will be invaluable in implementing the new Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) for those with learning disabilities in the area.

James Mannion, Business Systems Project Manager for AfC, said, “We want to empower our children and young people who face challenges because of their communications difficulties, to show how they can use Wikis to get across their preferences and viewpoints by using pictures, sounds, video and words – to give them a voice and enable them to take control of their lives.  We call this multimedia advocacy.

“We want people to take a full and active role in the EHCP process, and we believe that using Wikis will lead to genuine collaboration between parents, teachers and professionals.”

AfC hosted an event in October last year to show children, parents, carers and teachers in the learning disability community how Multimedia Advocacy and the Rix Wiki can support them.  After the event, James asked parents and carers to share their comments which are highlighted below.  The feedback is critical in ensuring the roll out of Wikis within the borough is effective.

How do you think you might use Wikis?

“I think I could develop a Wiki for /with my autistic Son and use it to collate a full picture of his strengths, aspirations and difficulties.”

“Collecting information from a child/young person’s perspective for Section A of an EHC plan.”

“I like it as a tool to make my son visible to service providers, e.g. local authorities, SAL, and other therapies. And perhaps it can be a campaigning and advocacy tool?”

“As a place for our child to see and celebrate his many successes and friendships.”

“amongst family and professionals to have a greater understanding of my child when he can’t always express things himself for his needs.”

What do you see as the benefits of using Wikis?

“not having to explain how my child is affected by his condition to everyone all the time”

“It is my son in his environment and snapshots of his actual life and not a piece of paper that service providers get to see. He might find it very empowering to be involved in creating this.”

“The wiki presents as a user friendly, up to the minute way of engaging a child/young person in the process of creating their EHC plan in a positive meaningful way, without appearing an overwhelming, bureaucratic or overly corporate process in which they may feel they don’t belong.”

As a result of the event, there are a further four schools who want to lead the way using Multimedia Advocacy and Rix Wikis and there are also two families who want to use Wikis for their annual reviews.

AfC is also taking further the use of Rix Wikis in Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.  Instead of using a conventional Section A of an EHC plan, parents and carers could use a Wiki instead of the form to convey the views, interests and aspirations of the child or young person.

This is an exemplar of a new EHC plan template that has been posted on AfC’s Local Offer website  https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/.