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Working together to support children with a social worker

This short animation was produced by ESW researchers to share findings from research that focused on understanding how multi-agency working might be developed to support the educational progress of Children With a Social Worker (CWSW).

• Video transcript

  [MUSIC Plays throughout: slow-paced, with a rising and falling melody to reflect the waves of the sea and the journey of a Child with a Social Worker (CWSW) through the seascape that the animation depicts]

  [Still image of a lighthouse on a patch of land above an enclosed harbour, surrounded by sea]

  Text on screen: Working together to support children with a Social Worker

  [Moving image of a small plane flying across the same seascape with a banner attached to its tail]
  Text on the plane’s banner reads: Key messages from a research project commissioned by Essex Virtual School]

  [Same still image of seascape with lighthouse]

  Text on screen: A Virtual School is a team of people working across education and social care

  [Visual wipes and goes to a wider view, setting the initial lighthouse and harbour in the context of a wider sea scape and bringing multiple lighthouses on additional stretches of coastline into view]

  Text on screen: There is a Virtual School in every Local Authority in England

  [Image reverts back to the closer view of the initial lighthouse and harbour seascape. A small sailing boat sails into the picture with a yellow figure of a child inside. The beam of the lighthouse picks up the sailboat and follows it as it moves around the seascape].

  Text on screen: Their role includes raising awareness of Children with a Social Worker

  [Lighthouse beam continues to follow the CWSW in the boat around the seascape]

  Text on screen: A key aim is to promote their educational progress

  [The boat and the seascape fade from view and the CWSW in the sailing boat then sails across the seascape and through some large rocks before encountering some sailing boats with coloured sails moving towards them from the opposite direction]

  Text on screen: Providing the support that they need to thrive can be difficult

  [Moving images of CWSW in the sailing boat surrounded by other sailing boats moving around and past them]

  Text on screen: Many different agencies can be involved

  [Moving images continue to show the CWSW in the sailing boat surrounded by other sailing boats moving around and past them]

  Text on screen: Interventions can come and go

  [Moving images continue to show the CWSW in the sailing boat surrounded by other sailing boats moving around and past them]

  Text on screen: At times there are simply ‘too many cooks’

  [CWSW in the sailing boat sails out of the picture, leaving the other sailing boats behind]

  Text on screen: Keeping the child at the centre can be challenging

  [Scene changes to an image of the CWSW in the sailing boat alone in the middle of the seascape]

  Text on screen: All of this can feel overwhelming

  [Image moves, revealing the other sailing boats with coloured sails still in proximity of the CWSW in their sailing boat]

  [Image then focuses on the other sailing boats with coloured sails, showing them moving closer together. Two fire different coloured fireworks into the sky and the image show these coming together in the middle above the sail boats]

  Text on screen: Better outcomes can be achieved when professionals work together

  [Image shows two sailing boats with coloured sails firing two more coloured fireworks which also meet in the middle]

  Text on screen: Sharing information builds knowledge of each child

  [Moving image shows CWSW re-entering the seascape in their sailing boat and sailing into the centre of the coloured sailing boats]

  Text on screen: Communicating well builds trust

  [Screen wipes to show CWSW and the sailing boats with coloured sails moving towards the harbour seen at the start of the animation]

  Text on screen: It helps when professionals appreciate what each other can do

  [Moving image of CWSW sailing towards the harbour with the coloured sailing boats surrounding them. The lighthouse beam comes on and picks up the CWSW in the sailing boat and follows them as they move through the middle of the coloured sailing boats. The beam continues to follow the CWSW as they sail into the harbour, in front of the sailing boats with coloured sails which remain outside]

  Text on screen: When support is coordinated, children are better placed to reach their goals

  [Shot widens to show the CWSW in the harbour plus some lighthouses on the opposite shoreline. Several other CWSW in sailboats can be seen out on the seascape. These are also illuminated by moving lighthouse beams]

  Text on screen: There are more Children with a Social Worker than you might think

  [Images fade to leave a focus on the first lighthouse above the harbour]

  Text on screen: Find out more about the work being done by your local Virtual School

  [Images fade to show the group of sailing boats with coloured sails in the centre of the seascape. A small plane flies across the screen displaying a banner from its tail]

  Text on screen: Completed by researchers in the School of Education and Social Work, ÃûæÂÖ±²¥

  [Moving image shows small plane flying across the screen displaying a banner from its tail]

  Text on screen: With thanks to all the professionals whose voices informed this research

  [Image fades to show sea only]

  END CARD: Animation by @caroline beavon