We’ve put together some notes below from our research and experience so far using Zoom video. We’ll update as we evaluate and learn so please feel free to send us your input too! Hope its helpful!
How to set up Zoom
- Sign up to get your free Zoomaccount. Use your work email to set up because that is the email you will use to invite families to the chat.
- Test it out with colleagues, have a play, it’s the best way to get to know how to use it! It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes at this stage!
- Complete your risk assessment.
When a family registers an interest in Zoom contact
- Liaise with both resident and non-resident to find a time to suit all parties.
- Compose an email that you will send to both resident and non-resident person prior to setting up the video chat.
Here are our notes for that;
To reassure you, as the host I can mute, hide people and stop the meeting, participants can’t do any of that. If you send a message to me on chat no one else will see it, it will be on the screen but only visible to you. I’ll put a chat message on when you’re halfway through and then again when there’s 5 minutes to go.
We recommend that you place the device you are using for the Zoom chat so that no one else can be seen on screen and also that no address or location is visible.
If at any point in the video call you are unhappy about anything or in your child’s best interests the call should stop, message me in the chat bar.
Preparing your children
Keeping it brief and age appropriate, explain that the contact centre is closed but they can still see (Dad/Mum etc) on a video.
Have a go! Set it up with a trusted friend.
Babies and Toddlers
Choose a time slot when the baby is not hungry or sleepy if possible, we know that is not easy and might not work, no problem, just do your best! Set up a play area where you can be out of shot if you’d rather, if your baby or toddler gets upset or needs a cuddle, don’t feel pressured to do that on camera. Better to have a 10 minute video chat where everyone feels happy and safe than a stressful 30 mins!
Children
Set up an activity they enjoy and can engage in during the chat so if feels more natural. If you want to set something up that the non-resident person can join in with just let me know and I’ll pass that on! Don’t feel they have to sit still and stare at the screen, the screen can be placed to one side like if a person was there. If at any point in the video call you are unhappy about anything or in your child’s best interests the call should stop, message me in the chat bar.
Young people
If your child is old enough and would like to do the chat on their own, let me know and I’ll email them directly, copying you in. Remember, just like at the centre even if you’re not in the room, we are. If at any point in the video call you are unhappy about anything or in your child’s best interests the call should stop, message me in the chat bar.
How to set up your video call with families
- 15 minutes prior to allocated call time, host (Coordinator) logs into zoom website and goes to ‘Host Meeting’.
‘Host meeting’ is on top right of web page
- 10 minutes prior to call time host invites second member of staff /volunteer.
Invite icon is a black tab at the bottom of your video screen. Click on invite and select, via email. Email will pop up, type in email address of second person.
- Host and second member of staff click ‘Stop Video’ (To enable participants to hear but not see you to allow a more natural contact session) and ‘Rename’.
‘Stop video’ is on the black tab at the bottom of the screen
‘Rename’ is on video screen, hover over your picture, 3 little dots in a blue box appear, click on the blue box, find rename and enter ‘Coordinator’ or ‘First name’ maintaining confidentiality by not giving full names.
- Host selects ‘Gallery view’ (Gallery view enables all participants to be seen equally all the time, unlike standard view which prioritises the image of only the person speaking).
Select gallery viewon top right of your video screen
- Host goes to ‘chat’- and selects ‘host only’.
Chat is on the black tab at the bottom
Go to the small box on far right with 3 dots
Select ‘Host Only’
- Five mins before call time invite non-resident person. We’ve chosen to invite non-resident first so the children aren’t waiting and it follows the same process as the actual contact centre.
Record time non- resident joins chat on register
When you invite via email it will be sent from the email you’ve registered with.
- Invite the resident person and/or children/young people
Record time non- resident joins chat on register
- Host goes to ‘manage participants’ click on ‘more’ and lock the meeting (this stops participants inviting anyone to join the meeting).
‘Manage participants’ is on the black tab at the bottom of your screen
‘More’ then appears on the right of your screen
- Half way through the video chat, host to put a message on chat to all participants ‘You’re half way through your video chat’.
- 5 minutes from the end host to put a message on chat, ‘We’re 5 mins from the end of the video chat’.
- 1 minute from the end host clicks unmute and speaks to participants to say call will be ending in 1 minute, time to say your goodbyes.
- Host clicks on ‘End Meeting for all’
‘End meeting’ is on black tab on bottom right side
- Host to email all participants with brief feedback questions and amend next session with any suitable feedback.