# The Village System: Collaborative Behavior Tracking for Teams The Village System is the heart of VillageMetrics' collaborative approach to supporting children with behavioral challenges. It enables parents, caregivers, and professionals to work together as a coordinated team. ## Understanding the Village Concept ### Why "Village"? The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is especially true for children with behavioral challenges. These children typically have extensive support networks including: - **Both parents** in two-parent households - **Extended family** (grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles) - **Educational team** (teachers, aides, special education coordinators) - **Therapeutic team** (ABA therapists, RBTs, BCBAs, speech therapists) - **Medical team** (pediatricians, psychiatrists, specialists) - **Daily support** (babysitters, respite care providers) ### The Collaboration Challenge Without VillageMetrics, these team members often work in isolation: - ABA therapists keep notes in their own system (that parents can't access) - Teachers maintain separate classroom records - Parents rely on memory when consulting with doctors - Babysitters have no context about recent patterns or strategies ### The Village Solution VillageMetrics creates a shared space where everyone contributes to a unified understanding of your child's progress, challenges, and effective strategies. ## Caregiver Types & Roles ### Parents/Guardians - **Maximum**: 2 parents per child - **Role**: Full administrative access - **Responsibilities**: - Own all child data - Pay for subscription (covers entire village) - Set caregiver permissions - Manage village membership - Configure child profiles and medications ### Caregiver Categories **Family Members**: - Grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings - Typically given broad access to support daily care **Educational Team**: - Teachers, classroom aides, special education coordinators - Often given behavior data access for consistency across environments **Therapeutic Professionals**: - ABA therapists and RBTs - BCBAs (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) - Speech, occupational, and physical therapists - Usually given comprehensive access to support treatment planning **Medical Professionals**: - Pediatricians, psychiatrists, neurologists - Often given analysis access for appointment preparation - May not need to contribute daily data **Daily Care Providers**: - Babysitters, nannies, after-school care providers - Typically given contribution access with viewing permissions for context ## Permission System Each caregiver is assigned specific permissions that determine their access level. Parents can mix and match permissions based on the caregiver's role. ### Available Permissions #### 1. Can Contribute Data About Your Child **What it enables**: - Submit voice journal entries - Record behavioral observations - Document activities and incidents **What it doesn't include**: - Cannot view other caregivers' entries - Cannot access analysis or behavior data - Cannot view child's medication information **Best for**: Babysitters or occasional caregivers who need to report but don't need full context #### 2. Can View Behavior Data About Your Child **What it enables**: - Access behavior scores and trends - View hashtag analysis (activities, outcomes, etc.) - See caregiver effectiveness comparisons - Access overview analysis and behavioral insights **Combined with Contribute**: Allows full participation in behavioral tracking **Best for**: Educational team members, therapeutic professionals #### 3. Can View Medical Data About Your Child **What it enables**: - Access medication analysis and effectiveness data - View medication changes and their impact on behavior - See medical-related hashtags and patterns **Note**: This is sensitive PHI data - grant carefully **Best for**: Medical professionals, primary therapeutic team #### 4. Can View Journal Notes About Your Child **What it enables**: - Read other caregivers' journal entries - View detailed transcripts and insights - Access journal search functionality - See all behavioral context and strategies discussed **Best for**: Team members who need full context for effective care ### Permission Combinations **Most Common Setups**: **Full Team Member**: All 4 permissions - Best for: Primary therapeutic team, both parents, close family providing regular care **Behavior Tracking Partner**: Contribute + View Behavior + View Journal - Best for: Teachers, frequent babysitters, extended family **Medical Consultant**: View Behavior + View Medical + View Journal - Best for: Doctors, psychiatrists (may not need to contribute daily data) **Reporter Only**: Contribute Data only - Best for: Occasional babysitters, substitute teachers ## Invitation Process ### Access Village Management - Tap child's photo/name at top of screen - Select "Invite someone to [child's] village" - OR: Go to Settings > Child's Profile > Invite new caregiver ### Caregiver Information - Enter caregiver's name - Provide their email address - Select caregiver type from dropdown menu ### Set Permissions - Choose which of the 4 permissions to grant - At least one permission must be selected - Consider the caregiver's role and need-to-know basis ### Send Invitation - Email invitation sent automatically - Invitation code displayed for immediate sharing - Invitation expires after 30 days ### What Caregivers Receive **Email Contents**: - Instructions for downloading the app - Invitation code for joining the village - Basic information about VillageMetrics **Caregiver Signup Process**: 1. Download VillageMetrics app 2. Go through email verification (OTP process) 3. Select "Caregiver" during role selection 4. Enter village invitation code 5. Gain access based on permissions set by parent ## Multi-Parent Consent Requirements When a child has two parents in the system, certain sensitive features require both parents to consent before caregivers can access them. ### Features Requiring Both Parents' Consent **Caregiver Clipboard Access**: - Allows caregivers to copy journal entries and analysis to device clipboard - Useful for therapists who want to copy notes to their practice management systems - Both parents must enable "Caregiver Clipboard Access" in Settings **Why Both Parents Must Agree**: - Clipboard data may sync to cloud services or other apps - Data leaves HIPAA-protected environment - Prevents disagreements between parents about data sharing ### How Multi-Parent Consent Works 1. **First Parent Enables Feature**: Setting saved but feature remains blocked for caregivers 2. **Second Parent Must Also Enable**: Feature only becomes available when both parents consent 3. **Either Parent Can Revoke**: If one parent disables the setting, feature is immediately blocked for all caregivers ## Managing Your Village ### Viewing Village Members **Location**: Settings > Child's Profile > View caregivers **Information Displayed**: - Caregiver name and email - Caregiver type - Current permissions - Status (Active, Pending, Expired) - Number of journal entries contributed ### Invitation Status **Pending**: Invitation sent but not yet accepted - Shows paper airplane icon to resend invitation - Can delete pending invitations **Expired**: Invitation not accepted within 30 days - Can resend (generates new code) or delete - Original invitation code no longer valid **Active**: Caregiver has joined and is participating - Shows pencil icon to edit permissions - Displays contribution statistics ### Modifying Caregiver Access **Editing Permissions**: 1. Tap pencil icon next to active caregiver 2. Modify any of the 4 permission types 3. Changes take effect immediately 4. Caregiver sees updated access on next app launch **Removing Caregivers**: - Tap caregiver name → Delete - Caregiver loses all access immediately - Their contributed data remains (owned by parents) - Can be re-invited later if needed ## Subscription & Access Control ### How Subscription Affects Villages **Parent Subscription Expires**: - All village members lose access to that child's data - Data is preserved but not accessible - Caregivers see notification about expired parent subscription **Parent Subscription Restored**: - All village members immediately regain access - No data lost during subscription lapse **Multiple Children**: Each child requires their parent to have active subscription ### Caregiver Account Independence **Free for Caregivers**: Caregivers never pay subscription fees **Multi-Village Access**: One caregiver can be invited to multiple children's villages - Each child appears in child picker at top of app - Caregiver switches between children as needed - Different permissions for each child possible ## Best Practices for Village Management ### Starting Your Village 1. **Add Second Parent First**: Ensure both parents are participating before adding others 2. **Start with Core Team**: Begin with daily caregivers (teachers, primary therapists) 3. **Gradual Expansion**: Add extended team members as comfort and trust develop ### Permission Guidelines - **Start Conservative**: Begin with minimal permissions and expand as needed - **Role-Based Access**: Match permissions to caregiver's actual responsibilities - **Regular Review**: Periodically audit who has access and why ### Communication with Village - **Set Expectations**: Explain how often you'd like journal entries - **Provide Context**: Share with new caregivers what kinds of details are most helpful - **Express Appreciation**: Acknowledge caregivers who contribute regularly ### Troubleshooting Common Issues **Caregiver Says They Can't Access Something**: - Check if both parents have consented (for clipboard/export features) - Verify caregiver has the required permission enabled - Ensure parent subscription is active **Invitation Problems**: - Check spam folders for invitation emails - Verify email address was entered correctly - Resend if invitation has expired (>30 days) **Too Many Notifications**: - Caregivers can disable activity notifications per child - Parents can't disable notifications for caregivers, but can educate about settings --- Your village is most effective when everyone understands their role and contributes regularly. The collaborative insights from multiple perspectives create a comprehensive picture that no single observer could provide alone.