Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS) VIP Project

Partners in Technology | Possibilities for Social Work Visions for the Future | Video Conferencing Features

Today, in a new environment of welfare reform and reduced governmental support of social services programs, we are challenged to locate new resources and make more efficient use of existing community resources AT&T and Lucent Technology's generous funding and donation of video conferencing equipment has aided SWCOS in meeting this challenge. This new technology affords us the opportunity to transform human service delivery. SWCOS Video Interactive Project (VIP) offers designated SWCOS sites the ability to collaborate. Sites can share human resources, thereby strengthening their individual training and consultation capabilities. Video conferencing ensures:

• forum for exchange between clinicians, community leaders, and University staff
• greater affiliation and cooperation among host sites
• improved quality of clinical services
• greater training opportunities
• efficient delivery of service
• maximization of host site resources
• reduced travel time and cost Video conferencing technology allows host sites the ability to communicate and collaborate across neighborhood boundaries

Partners in Technology Linking communities...
The University of Maryland School of Social Work was founded in 1961. Located in the heart of Baltimore, the University has been committed to providing quality service to communities in need. In 1992, the School led the nation in developing a school-based outreach services, which combines the principles of research, field instruction, and social work practice. Today, the University, through the Social Work Community Outreach Service (SWCOS), is once again exploring new terrain. In 1995, AT&T -- Lucent Technology awarded SWCOS a technology grant which made the development of VIP possible. Those sites chosen for the demonstration forge partnerships, set standards, and reach milestones that will benefit future sites. The sites selected, Baltimore Urban League, Booker T. Washington Middle School, and Washington Village Pigtown Village Center, and their respective communities, represent a variety of gifts and interests. The Baltimore Urban League, nestled in an historic church on Orchard Street, operates a variety of programs which benefit community, including Work Focus 2000, a project designed to assist welfare recipients on their way towards self sufficiency. Booker T. Washington Middle School, located in West Baltimore, social work interns provide individual, group, and family counseling, play therapy, crisis intervention, peer mediation, skill development, and advocacy to children and their families. The Washington Village Pigtown Village Center operates two programs within the West Baltimore Empowerment Zone -- Family Connections and Family Support & Career Center. Both provide essential support to individuals and families in need.

Possibilities for Social Work Visions for the Future...
The use of video conferencing equipment will transform clinical and community organization & development practice and field instruction. The application of this technology is limited only by our imaginations... In the clinical setting this technology will:

• heighten understanding of group dynamics -- role definition, establishment of trust, phases of group development, etc.
• help professionals detect subtleties of communication, both verbal and non-verbal
• increase accessibility of a wide range of services
• enhance therapeutic effectiveness
• reduce client stress and anxiety by permitting multiple service providers -- social worker, lawyer, doctor, etc. -- to provide consultation simultaneously

In the classroom this technology will:

• provide a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance knowledge and increase awareness
• enable professors to co-teach portions of core courses across disciplines to include medical, social work, and legal perspective on issues such as domestic violence, alcoholism...

In the community this technology will:

• encourage community organization leadership to collaborate on common problems
• capitalize on training opportunities offered throughout the various professional schools and community agencies
• permit large scale meetings among individuals unable to travel
• allow more frequent and better quality interactions among CEOs of different non-profits
• allow government, academicians, business leaders, non-profit leadership, and community leadership to direct their respective skills and resources to the solution of critical community problems.

Video Conferencing Features

The System... The Concord 4500 is the state-of-the-art equipment

The CONCORD 4500 offers several options which enhance communication:

• easy call answering: the Concord will answer calls manually or automatically
• two-way viewing capability enables participants to see and hear one another
• the ability to transmit crisp clear pictures
• capacity to view more than one image simultaneously -- picture-in-picture potential
• optimal sound quality: reduced background noise and minimal delay
• voice-activated camera, directs attention to whomever is speakinguser-friendly wireless key pad aids operator in positioning and directing the camera
• built-in options which aid in training, such as document camera which displays agendas, diagrams, charts, etc.
• "look-at-me" button feature refocuses the camera on a particular individual for example, the trainer

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