Get Started

If you want to make a video profile for your child or a child you are working with then we hope this page will help you get started.

We are currently writing a “Video Profiling: Get started…” guide which will be available to download from this page. Please enter your e mail address into the box on the left hand side of this page and we will let you know when it’s ready.

Some thoughts

As technology progresses and changes the landscape of how we live our lives it will also undoubtedly have an effect on our working practices. As with anything, there are pros and cons, and it’s important that we don’t get so caught up in how exciting new developments are so we don’t carefully evaluate where shortfalls may be occurring.

We live in an age where our lives have become more transparent and information about ourselves is more accessible than ever. Every day we make decisions to give information about ourselves to third parties be it through sharing photographs on Face book or describing our consumer habits through customer questionnaires. It is important to remember that we are making those decisions for ourselves and we must bear in mind that in creating a video profile we may be making decisions about the privacy of someone who may not be able to advocate for himself or herself or understand the implications of what they are involved in. Everyone has a right to privacy.

Some basic rules

• Always seek permission from the person who you are creating a video profile if you can. We have tried to design the interface of video profile so that students can use them by themselves.
• Always seek permission from anyone who is involved in filming and respect the decisions of people not to be in footage. Everyone must sign a consent form, remember to keep these safe!
• Never keep information for longer than you need to, especially information regarding intervention relating to challenging behaviours.
• Videos should NEVER be used to make the young person feel bad about themselves. If you decide to let young people have access to videos then they should be used to facilitate reflection on their own skills and achievements.
• If a video profile has being constructed to demonstrate the impact of negative behaviours then this should be done within the context of a planned session with clear aims and outcomes. Carol Gray's 'Social stories' are a good way to give students self management strategies.
• Video profiles should always be kept in a secure location. Remember how easy it is to lose memory sticks, CD Roms, laptops etc.