Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework of Seven Principles
and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
Limited Communication Skills.
Research Project Report
Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework
of Seven Principles and Video Analysis with People who
have Sensory Impairments and Limited Communication
Skills.
Asunción Snow, Sense Residential Services Manager,
Leeds
Anne Telling, Melton House Resource Centre Manager,
Rotherham
October 2011
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Sense October 2011
Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework of Seven Principles
and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
Limited Communication Skills.
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate if the use of
video analysis, in conjunction with a framework of seven
principles, improves the skills development and expertise of
staff who support people who have sensory impairments and
limited communication skills.
Several leading Sense staff working across a number of
Residential and Communities services were approached and
subsequently took part in the research project. Meetings took
place to introduce the project and the roles of each staff and
participants. A series of prepared documents were explained
for the purpose of the project, and how to analyse practice
using video evidence was outlined. Questionnaires were
completed by all of the staff who took part in the project for
analysis by the research team.
Feedback from questionnaires of all staff involved showed
that the Framework of the Seven Principles, in conjunction
with video analysis, improved staff practice, raised staff
confidence, improved staff recognition of participants’’
expressive communication, and developed the
independence of the participants.
The limitation of the research project was that it was based
on a small number of staff and participants.
No literature can be found that brings together all of the
seven principles that we refer to, and there is no literature
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Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework of Seven Principles
and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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where the seven principles are used as a tool for staff
development. Therefore video analysis in conjunction with
the seven principles is an original and innovative approach,
both within Sense and in other similar organisations. The
findings have identified priorities for the organisation with
regard to dissemination and training.
Keywords – Video Analysis; Framework of Seven Principles;
Practice Supervision; Skill Development; Self-Reflective
Practice; Interaction; Limited Communication Skills;
Deafblind; Practitioners; Staff;
Paper type – Research Paper
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and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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Acknowledgements
This research was made possible by Sense recognising and
supporting this work in its earliest stages, and the keen
interest of highly skilled practitioners Janice Greatrex, Linda
Upson, Alex Oram, Claire Webb and Gary Hyndman to be
involved in the project. This support encouraged the
research team to pursue the project.
The research team would also like to give their special
thanks to all the staff involved for their enthusiasm and
commitment to this project: Peter Frost, Jane Pinfield,
Joanne Marrison, Kelly Wayman, Kerry Smith, Ben Nichols,
Diane Clarke, Neil Angel, Vikki Richardson, Sarah Oliver,
Alyson Fox, Sarah Lee, Georgina Wildwood, Rebecca
Wilson, Rebecca David, Bob Dixon, Emily Gelder, Steve
Powell, Heather Powell, Andrea Crimes, Rebecca Norbury,
Maxine Cullum, Zoe Maxwell, Ann Day. The research team
would also like to give very special thanks to the participants
who made the research possible: Anthony Earp, John
Noonan, Sassia Hussain, Suzanne Hirst, Amanda Bodley,
Rosamund Thorpe, Peter Morrell, Arminder Mann, Nathaniel
Byron and Dean Jennings.
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Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework of Seven Principles
and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
Limited Communication Skills.
Contents
Aims
page 6
Background
page 8
Literature Review
page 15
Methodology
page 20
Results
page 26
Discussion
page 35
Conclusion
page 38
Reference List
page 38
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Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework of Seven Principles
and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
Limited Communication Skills.
Aims
The project considered the use of video and a framework of
seven principles as a staff development tool to aid staff
working with people who are deafblind and who have limited
communication skills.
Expectations of Sense staff, in terms of the development of
specialist skills, are very high. When staff begin working
within services, they don’t usually have much experience
working with this client group. The research team felt that
video analysis gave visual feedback of practice and removed
the staff member from ‘in the moment’ memories replacing
those with valuable self-evaluated, precise feedback, whilst
supporting reflection in order to maximise the engagement of
staff.
The Research Team strongly believed that a combination of
the use of video for self-reflection and the framework of the
seven principles for analysis was key to the development of
staff skills. The aim of this Research was to compare:
a) the development of staff skills using video and as part of
the staff skill development process using the framework of
the seven principles, with
b) the development of staff skills using the framework of the
seven principles without the use of video.
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Developing Good Working Practice using a Framework of Seven Principles
and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
Limited Communication Skills.
The Research Team have a responsibility to Sense staff and
deafblind people who use Sense services. This responsibility
is to ensure that support staff have the necessary practical
skills to interact with each person they work with, and to
provide relevant and appropriate support for the
development of communication, independence and other
relevant skills.
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and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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Background
To provide high quality services, it is important to empower
staff with a high level of skills and knowledge, and for them
to feel confident within their role. Owing to the diverse range
of people who work in Sense services to support deafblind
people, it has been essential to find a tool that staff
understand and that they can use to become skilled in
interacting with deafblind people. The use of video and the
framework of the seven principles is a non-academic,
practical tool that gives visual feedback and removes the
staff from ‘in the moment’ memories, replacing them with
valuable and precise feedback which can be evaluated using
the seven principles. It is a self-reflective practical tool that
supports practitioners independent of their academic level,
i.e. it is useful for staff with or without an academic
background.
The development of the principles has evolved over a period
of many years from the experiences of the research team
working with congenitally deafblind and acquired deafblind
people. It is from these experiences that people with
acquired deafblindness clarified what ‘good staff practice’
meant for them; this vital information contributed to the
development of the framework of the seven principles.
Additionally, from observation of congenitally deafblind
people, the difficulties that teachers and assistants had in
interacting and supporting deafblind people were clear. This
led to the belief that a framework for developing staff skills
was needed to support positive interactions. It was
recognised that some principles were needed, and from
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and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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these experiences and desire to meet deafblind people’s
support needs, the framework of principles began to
develop.
The Seven Key Principles that formed the Framework were:
1. What are the aims of the Activity?
2. How did I tell the deafblind person that the activity had
commenced and did the person anticipate?
3. How did the person and I interact during the Activity?
4. How I used Sign, Speech , objects of reference, pictures,
etc
5. How I used physical guidance, physical prompts and
verbal prompts?
6. Had I given the deafblind person time to complete the
task?
7. What was my role in the task? Have I done things for the
deafblind person that they could do?
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A more thorough description of each principle is examined
below:
1) What are the aims of the Activity?
This was the last principle added to this core. This was
devised from observing the difficulties that staff had in
planning and adapting an activity to suit the individual’s
personal development. The learning conditions for deafblind
people remain difficult when staff are not clear of the aim of
the activity; this is because the deafblind people whom we
support rely on the staff to know the aim of the interaction.
Knowing the aim of the activity brings clarity and consistency
to the interaction and without clarity and consistency, there is
likelihood that challenging behaviour will be provoked as a
result of frustration or disengagement.
3) How did I tell the deafblind person that the activity had
commenced and what did the person anticipate?
This principle came from the theory of developing
communication and from working with acquired deafblind
people who have informed on how important anticipation is
for helping them to have control of their life. This principle is
also supported from experiences of working with congenitally
deafblind people who appear to be resistant to interactions
when they aren’t given the opportunity to anticipate, which
can often lead to challenging behaviour.
Hearing and sighted people take for granted the emotion of
anticipation and having control of events, but providing
deafblind people with the knowledge and information in the
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and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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correct format is a skill that staff find difficult to apply when
they are working. Video analysis provides an excellent tool
for looking for, and looking at, the bodily emotions relating to
anticipation that are displayed by deafblind people.
4) How did the person and I interact during the Activity?
This principle is essential to develop the observational skills
that staff needs to be able to listen to the deafblind person
and to be able to be attentive to any reaction that they
receive as a result of their own behaviours.
Any action, movement or behaviour has the potential to be
turned into an interaction. From experience, we have found
that staff don’t always have the skills to be responsive to
these actions, movements or behaviours, and so need to
develop these communication skills.
Video is a key element for staff to be able to ‘see’ the
interactions. Possibly staff can only learn this by observing
their own practice and seeing how they can ‘listen’ to the
person. The key to listening to people who are deafblind is
by observing.
5) How I used Sign, Speech , Objects of Reference, Pictures, etc
This is an obvious principle to have, because when working
with people with limited formal communication skills it is
fundamental to know the different modes of communication
to be able to present to the deafblind person.
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Rødbroe and Janssen (2006) emphasize that “A high level of
communication skills in the partners is essential”. They
include many different ways of communication. The partner
must be able to interact bodily and to master sign language
to a degree, which allows signs to be introduced fluently,
whenever there is a possibility to match the mind of the
deafblind person with an appropriate expression.
By referring to modes of communication as a principle, we
aim to achieve a high level of skill, by supporting staff on
how and when to use and adapt communication modes to
each individual.
6) How I used physical guidance, physical prompts and verbal
prompts
Verbal and physical prompts are a key part of this principle
because they are used to fill in the gap between the
individual’s skills and the skills needed to complete the task.
Vygotsky (1978) referred to this as the Zone of Proximal
Development”; that is “the distance between the actual
developmental level as determined by the independent
problem solving and the level of potential development as
determined through problem solving under … guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers”.
Physical guidance is a complex skill as it is a mode of
communication developed through movement that teaches
skills and communication. It is fundamental for deafblind
people’s skill development to use a tactile approach that
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shares bodily movement to enable them to learn functional
and practical skills.
For example, supporting the deafblind person to open the
kitchen drawer is not only communicating the action but also
teaching the action of how to open the kitchen drawer.
Physical guidance is a technique which needs to be
developed by staff to enable deafblind people to learn and
develop practical and functional skills. The staff need to
understand the position of their hand during this
communication technique as this is a complex skill.
7) Had I given the deafblind person time to complete the task?
‘Giving time for the deafblind person to do or understand
something’, and ‘not doing things for them’, were expressed
by people with acquired deafblindness as fundamental staff
skills needed to be able to reflect to the deafblind person that
they had potential to succeed in the task. This was one of
the first elements of supporting people with deafblindness
that became a principle.
‘Giving time’ and ‘not doing things for people’ are interrelated
skills, however they still differ:
The principle of “giving time” is mentioned frequently in the
literature on deafblindness in different contexts. For example
Rødbroe and Janssen (2006) state that, “the tempo and the
reactions during sustained interaction have to be modified to
suit each individual. If this does not happen, then interaction
and communication will often be disrupted”.
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This principle is also mentioned by Murdoch (1992):
“allowing time for deafblind people to receive and respond to
stimuli”.
From frequently observing staff practice, it is clear that staff
miss many opportunities to involve the deafblind person
because they tend to give very little time or too much time. In
our experience, it is only through the use of video analysis,
that staff realise their actual involvement and the importance
of these skills.
8) What was my role in the task? Have I done things for the
deafblind person that they could do?
This principle helps to confirm the role of the staff when
supporting people who are deafblind. The principle was
included because from the experiences of acquired deafblind
people, and supporting staff working with acquired and
congenitally deafblind people, there is confusion as to what
level of support staff should give.
By giving too much support staff can deny a deafblind
person the opportunity to learn or develop, or to try new
experiences, and frequently doing things for the deafblind
person can lead to passive behaviours. This can lead to
frustration because, for example, a person with acquired
deafblindness will know how and will want to do things for
themselves. This could then result in conflict between staff
and the deafblind person and a breakdown of the
relationship.
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and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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Literature Review
No published literature could be found that brings together all
of the seven principles that are referred to, and therefore in
no literature are the seven principles used as a tool for staff
development. However, most literature on developing
communication with people who are deafblind relates to what
we refer to as the seven principles. This is used in the
context of how to provide good practice when interacting with
people who are deafblind. For example, the booklet by
Janssen & Rodbroe (2007) includes many references to
professionals and institutions working in the field of
deafblindness, and they enter into great detail on the
importance of: ‘Rituals and routines’; ‘Shared experiences’;
‘Scaffolding and modelling’; ‘Turn taking, turn keeping, turn
giving’; ‘Co-regulation of modality; attention and proximity’;
‘Joint Attention’; ‘Introducing yourself as a good companion’;
‘Time to Explore’; ’Sensitive responsiveness’; ‘Open
interpretations’, and ‘Negotiating about meaning’.
Theorists, Researchers and Practitioners in the field of
deafblindness express the importance of the role of support
staff in the development of skills in interaction and
independence for people who are deafblind. The Deafblind
International Communication Network, whose goal it is to
make knowledge more available for as many communication
partners of persons with deafblindness as possible
emphasise this when they explain that:
“the partners [support staff] of the deafblind person are the
most important factor for his development and well-being.
All human beings develop in relationships with other
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persons. For deafblind persons it is essential that they meet
partners who are willing and skilled in interacting with them
on their terms.”
(Rødbroe & and Janssen, 2006)
This view is also supported by Janssen (2009), who reports
that “there are fewer support staff well trained in working with
adults than there are for children and adolescents, even
though the need for communication only increases with age”.
Staff development that supports the interactions and skills of
working with people who are deafblind is therefore a
significant area. One of the key staff development tools that
the lead researchers currently use in their services is Video
Practice Supervision. Staff practice is videoed and then
analysed by the staff member with the support of an
experienced practitioner. The analysis is self-reflective, and
follows the framework of the seven principles. These
principles have been gradually developed over many years
of experience and practice in the field of deafblindness and
have been used in the services managed by the research
team to improve the practical skills and interaction
techniques of staff in their services.
The Sense services that the research team are involved in
have successfully used video analysis and the seven
principles as a staff development tool for many years. This
led to the development of a workshop presentation by the
research team which was delivered at the European
Deafblind Conference in Italy in 2009 on the subject of
improving staff skills through the use of video analysis. The
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and Video Analysis with People who have Sensory Impairments and
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feedback from the workshop was very positive; the
overwhelming message being that this method of staff
development should be more widely available. The research
team hope to gain confirmation through the current research
project that video analysis using the seven principles can
improve staff skills.
The use of video to assess practice has become part of the
culture in the services that the research team manage.
Although the use of video can be time-consuming, requires
some degree of knowledge and understanding of the use of
technology and, to some extent, be viewed as invasive to
some people, it allows staff to gain a better understanding of
their practice, and of how they ‘actually’ interact with the
deafblind people they support, rather than how they
‘perceive’ themselves to interact.
This is because the practice follows a coaching style, rather
than a teaching style. The interaction between the staff
member/communication partner and the deafblind person is
videoed, and then the piece of video is analysed by the staff
member and their senior practitioner. The interaction could
be anything from a conversation, to making a cup of coffee,
to offering a foot massage. Each interaction is dependent
upon the deafblind person and the staff member who
supports them.
In support of this theory, there is a training pack available
from the University of Dundee (2010). This intervention uses
video to record interactions, and then analyses the footage
with communication partners to “enhance communication
within relationships” and “to develop greater awareness of
how [partners] can respond in an attuned way “.
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Furthermore, the information on ‘video interaction guidance’
supports our theory that:
“in the process of standing back and looking at themselves
on screen, [partners] are able to analyse what they were
doing when things were going 'better than usual'. In this way
they are empowered to make an informed decision about
how they would like to improve situations that are more
problematic.”
Whilst the pilot study indicated that video analysis using the
seven principles improved staff skills, the research team
expect:
 Video Practice Supervision and the Framework of the
Seven Principles to be recognised as a tool that can be
used as part of supervision for staff development and
improving staff practice.
 To be able to demonstrate evidenced based practice
within our services.
 To confirm the effect of this tool on staff practice
development (which in turn impacts on the lives of the
people that Sense supports).
 To confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of this staff
development tool.
 To develop a culture of using video to analyse and
develop staff practices.
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 To produce a marketable Booklet and DVD that will
support Video Practice Supervision and the Framework of
the Seven Principles as a staff development tool for wider
use.
 To be recognised as a contribution to development in the
field of deafblindness by presenting the research
internationally.
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Methodology
The participants in the project were people who use Sense
services. They require specialist support to meet their
individual needs owing to their sensory impairments, any
related additional disabilities, and limited communication and
independence skills.
The participants in the research project were adults who had
sensory impairments and limited communication skills, and
did not have the mental capacity to give consent to
participate in the research project. This posed an ethical
dilemma as people need to give consent for participation in
research. However, in this project, the participants were not
assessed even though they were present; it was the
behaviour of the staff supporting them that was being
evaluated so it was decided that the staff should give
informed consent to participate.
Several leading Sense staff working across a number of
services were approached to take part in the research
project. An initial meeting was held to introduce the project
and the role of the Supporting Practitioner, the role that
these staff took on. The meeting guided them through their
key role in the project and the process of how to use the
framework of the seven principles, as well as the reasoning
behind each principle. All of the Appendices were explained
and clarified as the pilot study highlighted that these were
complex for Supporting Practitioners to understand. All
services had video cameras, some people had used a video
camera before, and, some people hadn’t and were sceptical.
However, feedback from the first video practice supervisions
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in the pilot study were very positive, for both the staff and the
Supporting Practitioners. Feedback from the pilot study
revealed that staff were quite apprehensive on the first
practice supervision, but afterwards, couldn’t wait for the
next one!
A series of documents were developed and/or included for
the purpose of the project: the Mental Capacity Act
(Appendix 1) document to establish whether or not each
person had capacity, Best Interests document (Appendix 2),
a baseline Assessment for the Staff (Appendix 3), a baseline
Assessment for the Participant (Appendix 4) and a baseline
Assessment for the Supporting Practitioner (Appendix 5).
The standard Practice Supervision Record (Appendix 6) was
adapted for the staff to score their initial Practice Supervision
(Appendix 7) and for the Supporting Practitioner to score it
(Appendix 8); it was also adapted for the staff to score their
final Practice Supervision (Appendix 9) and for the
Supporting Practitioner to score the final Practice
Supervision (Appendix 10). To achieve the findings of the
research, a series of questionnaires were developed for staff
who used video analysis (Appendix 11), staff who didn’t use
video analysis (Appendix 12) and Supporting Practitioners
(Appendix 13). Apart from the questionnaires, the documents
were arranged as appendices. It became evident in the pilot
study, that there was some confusion over what some of the
documents referred to, and so a ‘Guide to the Appendices’
(Appendix 14) was created to give clarity to the Supporting
Practitioners. An original document, created to offer the
Supporting Practitioners a timescale for the project, was also
revised as a result of the pilot study; it was simplified and
made reference to each of the Appendices, and was titled
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‘Guide for Supporting Practitioners’ (Appendix 15). Feedback
from the pilot study also prompted the Research Team to
provide the documentation in the form of an Information
Pack (Appendix 16) to enable the Supporting Practitioners to
follow the project more easily. This pack was separated into
two sections: Section 1 for the staff using video and the
framework of the seven principles, and Section 2 for staff just
using the framework of the seven principles.
The role of the Supporting Practitioner was to engage staff in
the project, either for the video analysis group or the control
group. The Supporting Practitioner supported the staff to
complete Baseline Assessments. They facilitated the
completion of the Capacity to Consent and the Best Interests
documents, and the Baseline Assessment for the
participants. The Supporting Practitioner also completed a
Baseline Assessment for themselves. It was intended that
outcomes could be analysed further by considering any
anomalies between the background of the participants, staff
members and Supporting Practitioners. For instance, it could
be argued that a more experienced Supporting Practitioner
may have been able to impart more knowledge, than one
with less experience.
Once these documents were completed, the Supporting
Practitioner observed the staff member supporting the
participant doing a chosen activity. Afterwards, the
Supporting Practitioner and the staff member reflected on,
and analysed the practice following the framework of the
seven principles (Practice Supervision Record). The
Supporting Practitioner was provided with a series of
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questions (Appendix 17) which acted as a prompt for each of
the seven principles and was intended to support them
during the analysis. Feedback from the pilot study identified
that these prompting questions were very useful. It was the
staff member’s responsibility to complete the Practice
Supervision Record document and, in discussion with the
Supporting Practitioner, decide upon necessary
developments from the analysis.
There were two groups of staff: one group had their practice
videoed by the Supporting Practitioner, whilst the control
group had their practice observed by the Supporting
Practitioner. The group who were videoed were able to use
the video to reflect on their practice during the review of the
seven principles, whilst the control group had to rely on
memory and perception. In the pilot study, staff within the
same service who didn’t use video analysis, questioned why
they were not being videoed. Interestingly, it was believed by
the Supporting Practitioner that the staff felt that they were at
a disadvantage by ‘not’ using video.
For the staff using video analysis, the Supporting
Practitioners were asked to choose a piece of video between
five and fifteen minutes long. They were asked to watch the
video with the staff member once without any comments,
and then follow the framework of the seven principles using
the video to reflect upon the interaction. The Supporting
Practitioners were made aware that staff often refer to the
actions of the deafblind person they are supporting when
they should be reflecting on their own practice. Supporting
Practitioners were asked to re-focus the staff member’s
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attention back to their own practice if and when this
occurred. It was also pointed out that during the analysis, the
conversation may divert onto another of the principles, and
that the Supporting Practitioner should react to this, and
indicate the appropriate comment / action against the
relevant principle.
To achieve an idea of how long the process took, a Time
Recording Sheet for staff using video analysis (Appendix 18)
and a Time Recording Sheet for staff without the use of
video (Appendix 19) was devised. The Supporting
Practitioners were asked to record the amount of time it took
for each person to complete the practice supervision and the
framework of the seven principles for all of the four practice
supervision sessions. It was felt that having the comparable
information would be valuable when considering the
effectiveness and efficiency of the process as a staff
development tool as it could be argued that the process was
too time consuming. Supporting Practitioners were also
asked to comment on the time element within the
questionnaires.
From the experience of the research team, practice
supervisions impact positively on staff practice. For the
purpose of the research project, there were four practice
supervisions over a period of eight months:
Month 1 - the baseline practice supervision will take place
Month 2 - the second practice supervision
Month 5 - the third practice supervision
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Month 8 - the final practice supervision.
To assist in achieving the answer to the question of whether
or not staff skills had improved over the duration of the
project, staff members were asked to score their practice at
the beginning and end of the project. The scoring of each
principle was done after discussion with the Supporting
Practitioner. Similarly, the Supporting Practitioners scored
the staff member’s practice, but this was done in isolation
from the staff member, so as not to influence the staff
member’s analysis of self-reflection. These scores
highlighted the reflections of staff practice from both parties.
The final practice supervisions were also scored in the same
way to allow comparison between the first and last scores.
During this final meeting, the Supporting Practitioners gave
questionnaires to the staff to complete in order to gain a
good understanding of their perspective of the process. Staff
were also asked to give consent for Sense to use their
videos for staff training and development purposes.
The Data Protection Act 1998 states that everyone over 18
years of age (parental / guardian consent for under 18’s)
must give consent for the taking of photographs and video
photography. This meant that the Research Team had to
gain the consent of the staff and the participants prior to
being videoed.
Following the pilot study that found staff to be sceptical about
having their practice videoed, the Consent forms (Appendix
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20) didn’t ask for permission to use staff’s videos for training
and development purposes. It was felt that consent for this
would be better achieved after the project was completed
when staff had a better understanding of the process and its
likely benefits.
The staff gave consent to be videoed. At the end of the
project, another Consent form (Appendix 21) was used to
ask staff if they would consent to allowing video footage to
be used for staff development and training purposes.
The service users, all of whom were unable to give consent
because the impact of their disabilities preventing them
acting autonomously, needed to have a Mental Capacity
Assessment. Where this Assessment determined that the
person didn’t have the capacity to understand why and how
the video would be used, and that they could change their
mind if they wished, then a Best Interests Assessment was
completed. Each of the Best Interests Assessment were
completed by a group of people who knew the person well,
who would act in their best interests, and who would answer
a set of questions to determine whether or not participating
in being videoed was in the best interests of the person
concerned.
Results
Although the research included a relatively small number of
Sense staff, the results came from ten projects across
Residential and Community Services, and the findings
showed no disparity between services. Twenty-nine Sense
staff were involved in ten projects from Sense Residential
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and Community Services: twelve Supporting Practitioners,
experienced in working in the field of deafblindness,
supported the analysis of seventeen staff working directly
with participants. Staff being supported using Video Analysis
and the Framework of the Seven Principles were the
‘Research Group’ and the ‘Control Group’ were those who
were supported using the Framework of the Seven Principles
Without Using Video Analysis.
Activities were led by twelve highly skilled and experienced
practitioners. It is felt by the research team that this has a
positive impact of the robustness of the findings owing to the
comments made by the Supporting Practitioners stating how
their own practice had improved and developed from their
experiences in participating in this project.
Overwhelmingly, staff felt that their skills had improved when
using video analysis in conjunction with the Framework of
the Seven Principles. This showed that staff skill
development improved, thus having a positive impact upon
the quality of life of the people with limited communication
skills they support.
The control group who didn’t use video analysis felt that
although their practice improved, it improved slowly, and that
video analysis would have enabled a better self-reflection on
their practice if video evidence had been available. Instead,
these staff relied upon the sole recollections of the
Supporting Practitioners. This demonstrates how video
analysis can be used to improve staff skill development.
The time taken for the control and research groups was
marginally different, and was felt a reasonable time to use for
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staff development, therefore this staff development tool
should not have a financial or time implication on the
services or organisation.
96 % of staff concluded that Sense should adopt this
development tool to enhance staff practice within the
organisation.
To further evidence the results, verbal feedback from
Supporting Practitioners and staff who took part in the
project, was captured on DVD, and used as supporting
evidence in an alternative format.
The perspectives of the project gained from the
questionnaires gave the following information:
Responses from the Questionnaires of Supporting Practitioners
using Video and the Seven Principles
 100% felt that staff skills improved using video analysis
and the Seven Principles;
 100% felt that it improved and developed staff skills;
 10% felt that the improvement wasn’t a result of the
process alone;
Comment:
“They were able to ‘see’ and ‘analyse’ their working practice
and look to develop the areas to improve their skills, and
skills of the participants”
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All Supporting Practitioners felt that video analysis enabled
staff to re-call and reflect on their practice:
This resulted in:




Increased staff confidence;
Developing skills to improve their practice;
Improving staff skills in communication;
Improving the recognition of the participants’ expressive
communication;
 Developing the independence of the participants;
 Better organisation of the environment;
 Sharing new skills with other staff to influence their
practice;
Impact of Staff Skill Development and the Quality of Life of
the Participants:
96% of all staff taking part felt that the skills of the staff
impacted a lot on the quality of life of the people they
support. Some comments were:
“Using Video Analysis and the Seven Principles enabled ‘the
deafblind people and the quality of interaction to become the
focus, and not the outcome”.
“The Seven Principles provide a structure and process by
analysis to apply and develop skills to benefit the
participants”.
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Responses from Staff using the Seven Principles Without
Video Analysis
 83% felt that their skills had improved a little;
 80% felt that their skills would have improved more if they
had used Video Analysis. When asked why, they
answered:
“I would see if I was doing things differently without me
knowing”;
“I would have been able to scrutinise my actual practice”;
“It’s possible to miss details or exaggerate details that didn’t
actually happen”;
Over 66% of the staff felt that the use of the framework of the
seven principles without video analysis:
 Raised staff confidence;
 Developed skills to improve their practice;
 Improved staff skills in communicating with deafblind
people;
 Developed the independence of deafblind people;
But, without video for reflection when analysing practice,
33% of staff commented how they had to rely upon the
observing Supporting Practitioner for information relating to
their practice.
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Responses from Staff using Video Analysis and the Seven
Principles
All staff felt their skills improved using Video Analysis and
the Seven Principles:
 88% felt that their skills had improved a lot, whilst 77% felt
that if they had NOT used Video Analysis their skills would
not have improved;
 The remaining 23% felt that skills would improve, but not
as much and not as quickly;
Comments:
“We can see how we ‘listen’ and how well our
communication is understood”
“I’ve learned how to better understand the person, so I can
give them what they want and need”;
When asked how using the Seven Principles and Video
Analysis had improved their practice, over 77% felt that this
process had:
 Developed skills to improve their practice, and the
independence of the participants;
 Improved their recognition of the participants’ expressive
communication;
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Sense October 2011
 Enabled them to improve how the environment was
organised to meet the person’s needs;
The project showed that the Seven Principles is a useful staff
development tool, but when used in conjunction with Video
Analysis, it was far better. Staff who used Video Analysis
were asked…Why?
Comments:
“Without Video Analysis I wouldn’t be able to reflect on my
practice and improve my work;”
“I am able to watch, pause, and replay sections, enabling me
to dissect my own working practice”;
“Video Analysis has added enthusiasm to my work”;
“Because my skill improved, so did the skill of the deafblind
person;”
Is the time taken to use Video Analysis and the Framework of the Seven
Principles Reasonable?
 92% of all staff taking part felt that the time spent was
reasonable for staff development and to benefit the people
they support.
 The average time taken using Video Analysis and the
Seven Principles was 1.5 hours compared to 1.25 hours
without using Video
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Comment:
“The video takes time to watch, but without video it takes
time to explain – I prefer video”.
Did Staff Feel Comfortable being Videoed?
Felt Uncomfortable Felt Comfortable at
at the Start of the
the End of the
project
project
Views of the
Supporting
Practitioners
91%
91%
Views of Staff
who were
Videoed
67%
77%
66% of Staff who didn’t use Video felt that they would feel
comfortable being videoed.
Views on Sense Using This Tool for Staff Development
96% of all staff stated that they would like Sense to use the
Seven Principles with Video Analysis as a Staff Development
Tool across services. These were some of their comments.
“It makes my work more meaningful, not just using Signs and
Objects, but also Body Language and Touch”
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Sense October 2011
“Staff are encouraged to think for themselves and to lead
improvement”
“Analysing ‘actual’ practice will always be the most useful
way of developing practical skills in an organisation that
works ‘hands on’ with people”;
“It is effective in developing my skills”
“It develops a consistent approach”
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Discussion
The findings were consistent with what the research team
expected. There were very positive reflections from all the
staff who took part, in addition to there being significant
improvements in the skills of the staff involved.
In discussion with Supporting Practitioners, they recognised
that using video analysis had improved how staff team
members worked together; this was a result of a better
understanding of the importance of the development of staff
practice. This appeared to be because they were exposed to
Supporting Practitioners who were experienced and skilled in
the field of deafblind practice, and therefore able to positively
influence practice.
From discussion with the Supporting Practitioners, it appears
that a culture of using video analysis has been developed
within the services that have taken part in the project. In
addition to using video analysis to develop staff practice,
video has been used for other purposes to benefit people
who are deafblind. In some services, this additional usage of
video has been instigated by people who use the service,
and had been well-used in Person Centred Planning
meetings.
The research was presented at the XV Deafblind
International Conference in Brazil. The feedback from the
conference workshop confirmed that the production of a
marketable Booklet and a DVD illustrating some of the
principles to support Video Practice Supervision and the
Framework of the Seven Principles as a staff development
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tool for wider use, nationally and internationally would be
beneficial. This would not only benefit other organisations,
but would identify Sense as a contributor in providing an
innovative staff development tool for marketing. A draft of the
proposed booklet has already been produced, and it is the
intention of the Research Team to involve senior
practitioners within Sense in the final production of this
booklet.
It could be argued that the research project was small-scale.
However, the research team feel, from their experience, that
because the population Sense supports is quite unique, the
results provide a true reflection of how staff skills can be
developed, using video analysis and the framework of the
seven principles, to improve the support offered.
Further research could be undertaken to measure the impact
of the frequency of practice supervisions on the development
of staff practice. Consideration could be given to whether or
not new staff need a higher frequency of practice
supervisions compared to more experienced staff.
The Sense Executive Board will review the research project
and decide whether or not to implement Video Practice
Supervision and the Framework of the Seven Principles as a
tool that could be used as part of supervision for staff
development and improving staff practice. The results
confirmed that the tool is effective and efficient.
As a result of taking part in the project, there are now
services within Sense that are able to demonstrate evidencebased practice within their services. Currently, evidencePage 36 of 39
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based practice is highly sought, and the Commission for
Quality Care should view this practice favourably.
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Conclusion
The expectations of Sense staff working in operational
services supporting people who are deafblind and who have
limited communication skills is extremely high. The staff who
have taken part in the project have confirmed that the use of
video analysis in conjunction with the Framework of the
Seven Principles is highly beneficial to enhance their skills in
supporting people who use Sense services.
Reference List
 http://www.cpdeducation/veroc (accessed October 2010)
Continuing Professional Development Centre, Video
Enhancement Reflection on Communication, University of
Dundee
 Janssen M & Rødbroe I (2006) Communication and
Congenital Deafblindness, ‘Contact and Social Interaction’
p18,19,22,26,27,34,35,42,48,49.
 Janssen M, & Rødbroe I, (2007) Communication and
Congenital Deafblindness, Contact and Social Interaction
 Janssen, (2009) ‘The Dynamics in Deafblindness.
Towards Evidence Based Practice’, 7th Deafblind
European conference programme 2009 p33
 Murdoch, H. (1992). Multi-sensory impairments. In: R.
Gulliford and G. Upton (Eds.) Special educational Needs.
London: Routledge.
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Sense October 2011
 Rodbroe I and Janssen M (2006) Communication and
Congenital Deafblindness, ‘Congenital deafblindness and
the core principles of intervention’ p20 , p19
 Snow A, Telling A & Howell P (2009) ‘A Model for Staff
Development’ workshop, 7th Deafblind European
Conference, Italy
 Vygotsky, L S, (1978) Mind in Society: The Development
Of Higher Psychological Processes, p86
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