Video feedback interventions
Topic Status Complete
Video feedback interventions to improve communication within family relationships and support children at risk
Outcome of the appraisal
The evidence supports the adoption of video feedback interventions to support children and their families who are at risk of or suffering from harm.
Improvements in parental sensitivity, parent-child interaction and attachment have been identified using video feedback interventions. The impact of video feedback interventions on out of home placement and longer-term outcomes are uncertain. Parents who used video feedback interventions report improvements in family relationships and parental confidence.
Uncertainty in the effect of video feedback interventions on out of home placement translates into uncertainty in the costs of video feedback interventions compared with standard care. The Appraisal Panel concluded, however, that the evidence to support the benefits of video feedback interventions justifies any possible increase in costs, and that the economic evidence does not preclude adoption. The Panel would encourage further data accumulation to support this intervention
Why was this topic appraised?
Child maltreatment has a profound impact on children’s wellbeing and a potentially lifelong effect on the child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Parental home visiting programmes, including video feedback interventions (VFI), for families at risk may decrease the prevalence and risk of maltreatment. VFI is an umbrella term that refers to the use of recorded video feedback with a guider during several sessions. VFIs can vary, including the exact name of the intervention e.g. video interaction guidance (VIG) and the mode of delivery (i.e., the number of sessions used).
This topic was proposed by Jonathan Scourfield, Professor of Social Work at Cardiff University; also based at Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre.
Plain language summary
Child maltreatment has a negative impact on children’s wellbeing and can have long lasting effects on the child’s social, emotional, and mental development. Effective ways to improve caregiver-child relationships can potentially improve parenting skills, parental stress and the family environment which can have important impacts for children. For children who are in contact with children’s services and may be at risk of harm, this is particularly important to try and prevent further harm happening, and in worst-case scenarios, a child needing to leave their family.
Video feedback interventions is a broad term that includes many different interventions, although they all use recorded video feedback. One of the interventions is called video interaction guidance (VIG) which has been used across a wide range of different settings to improve communication and attachment between individuals, in particular caregivers and their children. VIG can be carried out over several sessions and by a range of professionals, but such guidance shares a common approach. During sessions, a social care professional will help the caregiver set out aims, goals and expectations of VIG. The professional then records conversations and activities between the caregiver and their child and these are shown to caregivers and their children, if they are old enough, with focus on positive moments. This can help the caregiver reflect on their relationship and move towards their goals.
Health Technology Wales looked for evidence on the effectiveness of video feedback interventions to improve outcomes for children and their families who are at risk of or suffering significant harm or maltreatment.
Topic Exploration Report
TER348 04.2022
Evidence Appraisal Review
EAR047 03.2024
Guidance
GUI047 03.2023
Due to publication delays, an update search was conducted in January 2024 to identify any new evidence published after the topic was reviewed by the Appraisal Panel in March 2023. No new studies were found that would change the evidence included in the Evidence Appraisal Report (EAR) or affect the Appraisal Panel’s guidance.