17 May 2004
New centre to open in Dundee
Photo opportunity: 4:30pm, Monday 17 May, Discovery Point, Dundee
A new centre that could ultimately help parents build a more satisfactory relationship with their children is
to open in Dundee next week. University of Dundee has established the 'Centre for Video Enhanced Reflection
on Communication' to provide training for professionals in the use of video feedback to enhance interaction
between people.
The quality of relationships in the home, classroom and the workplace is central to emotional and
intellectual well-being and video feedback on interactions has proved effective in producing positive change
in a wide-range of situations. Professionals in education, social work, health and others are finding that
the method helps them to deliver better services in a number of ways. For example, a social worker may use
video feedback with a family to help parents build a more satisfactory relationship with a child.
Alternatively, a teacher may use the method on herself in class to help manage children with special needs.
The Centre will combine expertise from Dundee City Council and the University to provide high quality award
and non-award bearing courses to satisfy a range of needs, from short courses with video-enhanced coaching to
courses for those who want to become fully qualified in Video Interaction Guidance and recognised by the
professional body, VIGUK. Students can also gain credit towards gaining a degree or Master's degree. A
substantial number of clients in local authorities, health boards and other universities have already signed
up for training or consultancy services.
Dundee City Council is the leading presence in this field in Britain, both in terms of using the technique
and in providing training. The link-up with the University’s Faculty of Education & Social Work will enable
this innovative method to be more widely available across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Links with
similar projects in Europe are being developed and staff intend to add a research element in the future, with
an International Conference planned for 2005.
The launch of the Centre coincides with the annual gathering in Dundee of trainers from across the UK. They
will be addressed by Katerina Bufortova, director of a sister project in the Czech Republic and Professor Ron
Elder of the Faculty of Education and Social Work will preside at the event.
Hilary Kennedy, who will lead the Centre, said, "Over the last twelve years I and other colleagues in Dundee
Educational Psychology Services have been developing courses in the use of effective video feedback in close
conjunction with projects in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Recently a Dundee parent spoke on Radio
Scotland on how video interaction guidance had enabled her to reunite with her children who were in care.
This mother was one of five-hundred who are receiving this sort of help today across the UK.
The creation of a centre as part of Faculty of Education & Social Work Continuing Professional Development
portfolio will see the project gaining a greater national and international profile."
For further information please contact Ian Ball on 01382 464389
By Angela Durcan, Press Officer 01382 344768, out of hours: 07968298585, a.durcan@dundee.ac.uk | 
