On 5 February we held a showcase of seven simple technology solutions that were thought up, designed and tested by Districts. These solutions not only have the potential to make an immediate impact, but are critical in designing the range of broader technical solutions the ChildStory program will deliver. Over one hundred frontline staff from across the state, the FACS Secretary and the program team came to Alexandria to see the progress of seven innovative solutions, but also to get hands-on experience using them to evaluate how they could support practice. This is the presentation from one of the companies we're working with.

1. Interactive
Knowledge
Capture
Safe Home for Life
Project 4- 5th February 2015

2. Introductions
• Barnardos Practice Development Centre
• 15 year partnership of social work and IT
• Widespread use of OOHC, and family support guided
practice/ child welfare database
Presenter: Susan Tregeagle- Senior Manager
Barnardos Australia and Adjunct Senior Lecturer Sydney
University
Wendi Keenan, Senior Manager Practice Development Unit
In partnership with CREATE

3. Project 4
To assist caseworkers to communicate
with children and young people and
meet SHFL KPIs:
– Part A- identify Apps to assist communication
between workers and children at initial contact
in child protection situations
– Part B- to hear the voice of children aged 5-9
who are on permanent orders - to prepare for
review meetings

4. This presentation
• First consultation with Department
allocated to us on 28th January
• This partial presentation will describe:
• Aims
• Benefits-SHFL and compliance with legislation
• Proposed functionality
• Initial wireframes with modifications following
consultations

5. Progress to date PART A
• Identification of Apps suitable for initial
relationship development:
– Pre-schoolers
– 5-9 year olds
– Adolescents
• Consultation with children in this age
group through workers in long-term
fostering and residential care, CREATE
and community.

6. Progress to date PART B
• Review existing research including
consultations with children and CREATE
• Consultation with FACS workers and
managers- 28th January
• Initial wireframes and concepts, design
and illustrations which incorporate initial
stakeholder feedback

7. Safe Home For Life KPIs
• Fewer children re-reported: Part A provides better
information on which to assess children’s needs
• More children receive face to face service:
Part A and B provide clear guidance for workers and
attractive interface will require less worker time
• More children exit OOHC: Part B means children’s
progress and exit from OOHC better is assessed
• Possibility of restoration or adoption: Part B
allows the conversation to occur in relaxed setting
• Children transitioned to NGOs: Part B means
enhanced assessment suitability for transfer
• Children avoid placement :P Part A ensures better
assessment

8. Benefits of this project- Demonstrates
compliance with ‘participation’ in:
• Legislation Children and Young Persons
(Care and Protection) Act 1998 8B,9,10-14,140,142,
149,150,160,162, 165, 166 and Regulations 14,34,42,48(3)
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• National Standards for Out of Home Care-
currently measured in Viewpoint
• NSW Accreditation SOOHC and Adoption
• Charter of Rights for children
in care

9. Functionality: address
difficulties in communication
• CREATE 2013 survey of 1,069 children and
young people nationally-
– 9% would confide in their caseworker
– 40% felt they could not contact their
caseworkers as often as required
– One third did not know anything about the Care
Plan
• Auditor General claims that only half of NSW
reviews completed annually

10. Functionality: create practical
App based on ICT use
• We will address problems identified in research
including:
• Lack of worker responsiveness is problematic for
children and young people
• Major concern of children is privacy
• Use of technologies is variable- gender and age
• Literacy levels variable
• Must address issues of Aboriginal children

11. Functionality –exploit
advantages of ICT
• Fun association- Visuals and graphics make
appealing
• Control- Young person can initiate
• Non-sequential communication
• Reduces isolation- geography, loneliness
• Easier engagement with ‘taboo’ subjects
• Enhance self-disclosure
• Better distribution- record can be kept, distributed
• Link relationship building to data to comply with

12. Functionality: avoid dangers
– Maintenance of relationship
– Distortion of communication
– Lack of access to technology- kincare
– Individual difference

13. Learning from consultations
• An interactive app- not game
• Greater emphasis on explaining use of
information- privacy, confidentiality
• Better definition of caseworkers
responsibility for follow-up
• Want good electronic identification for
retrieval
• Move questions to other screens
• Alterations to avatars and characters

14. Gamification
Collecting information
with children using games
Proof of concept

15. Problem
When we’re working with children it can be
difficult to get information from them.
It’s especially difficult when children don’t
understand the situation they’re in and
what’s going on around them. This impacts
the quality and reliability of the information.

16. Hypothesis
Creating a game to gather this information
and facilitate their involvement will increase
the flow and quality of the information about
the child. This will also help educate the
child about the process.

17. Meet Leah
Leah is a 25 year old caseworker.
She uses a desktop PC in the office and uses a
mobile device when out visiting parents, carers,
families, children and young people in the field.
Leah will use an interactive app on her iPad when
visiting Aiden for his consultation prior to his review.
The interactive app will allow her to:
• Improve the quality and quantity of information
provided by Aiden
• Ensure that Aiden’s voice and views are being
being heard and captured
• Engage and educate Aiden in the decision-
making processes which relate to his care

18. Meet Aiden
Aiden is a 6 year old boy in out-of-home care.
Aiden will be visited by Leah, his caseworker. He’s
not sure what it’s about. He was removed from his
parent’s home 18 months prior and is now on
permanent orders. He has lots of questions and
worries.
The interactive app will allow Aiden to:
• Easily provide information about his
experiences, hopes and concerns.
• Feel that he has been heard and understood
through the consultation process.
• Understand the decision-making processes that
relate to his care.

19. What you’re about to see
A child’s voice does not just need to be heard but
must influence the decisions that are being made
about them.
Children in out of home care often have
considerable concerns around talking about intimate
personal and family matters; they need to know
what will happen to this information. They have
particular difficulties recalling who their caseworkers
are and understanding their care plans.

20. Today’s presentation
• Log-In and choose an avatar, how are you feeling
• Who’s important to Aiden- people, pets and contact
views
• What’s happening- education, health, feeling safe,
recreation, sport and fun
• This is me- identity and culture
• My future plans- the review meeting and who will
attend
• Wrap up- Tasks and signatures
Future’s screens

21. Introducing
How u going