These materials are from the archive of the SSC Website and may be outdated.

 

University of Edinburgh
 

Deaf Pupil Education and Social Services

Highland Deaf Children's Services

Sheila Lundberg (Education) and
John Gill (Social Work)

The Highlands

map of Highland region

The Challenges

  • The geography of the Highlands
  • The sparse and scattered population
  • The weather !
  • Equality of provision regardless of location
  • Scarce resources and small teams

Highland Deaf Children pre-1980

Highland deaf children pre-1980

The pre-1980 context

  • Removal from home at very early age
  • Poor relationships with parents and siblings
  • Frustration and difficult behaviour due to impoverished communication/language deprivation
  • Family guilt (and relief!)
  • Community and family exclusion

1995

  • Highland Deaf Education Service created
  • New Head of Audiology
  • New Social Work Team for Deaf Services
  • New post of Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for the Hearing Impaired
  • Highland Co-ordinating Committee (Deaf Services)
  • Highland Paediatric Audiology Group set up

1995 ? 2004

  • Highland Co-ordinating Committee (Deaf Services) to become Strategic Advisory Group for Sensory Services
  • Highland Paediatric Audiology Group became Paediatric Working Group (Hearing Impairment)
  • Deaf Communication Project
  • Deaf Communication Service (Deaf Action)
  • Universal neo-natal hearing screen

Highland Paediatric Audiology Group now
Highland Paediatric Working Group ? Hearing Impaired

  • Audiology
  • E.N.T.
  • S.L.T.
  • Education
  • Community Paediatrics
  • Hospital Paediatrics
  • Social Work
  • Moray Education
  • Voluntary Sector
  • User Representative

Joint Working

  • Paediatric Audiology
  • Pre-school Group
  • Pupil Reviews
  • Staff Meetings
  • Single Strategy Working Group
  • Co-ordinating Committee
  • Deaf Communication Project Steering Group
  • Email
  • Planned Monthly Liaison Meeting

Shared Resources

  • Speech and Language Therapy Post
  • Sign Language Tutor
  • Support Workers
  • Activity Programme
  • Fairburn
  • Joint Training
  • DCP training opportunities
  • Access to each other?s libraries
  • Sharing of sign language resources
  • Teacher of the Deaf working with DCP

Keys to Progress

  • Enthusiasm and Interest
  • ?True? Multidisciplinary working ?
  • ?team? who work well together
  • One Audiology Department
  • 2 main Consultants for Deaf children
  • Small number of professionals

Working with parents

  • Answering Questions
  • Listening to Concerns
  • Working in a Partnership
  • Pre-school get-together
  • Activities Programme

deaf pupils in Scotland by Local Authority

Where Pupils Sign/Alternative communication
Caithness 25 (2)
Ross and Cromarty 45 (8)
Sutherland 24 (3)
Inverness 83 (15)
Badenoch/Strathspey 14 (1)
Lochaber 17 (2)
Nairn 4 (2)
Skye and Lochalsh 7 (1)
Total 219 (34)

Services to Highland deaf child

Positive outcomes

  • Improved family life
  • Most Profoundly Deaf children in Highland
  • Better academic attainment
  • Improved social integration
  • Less dependence on social work services into adulthood
  • Opportunity to remain in Highland

Strategic Planning

  • Strategic Advisory Group for Sensory Services
  • For Highland?s Children
  • Accessibility Strategy
  • Single Sensory Strategy Action Plan
  • Audiology Bids (PHIS Report)
  • Hearing Care Pathways

Strengths

  • All services Highland- wide
  • Early diagnosis through UNHS (first in Scotland)
  • Effective multi-disciplinary working
  • Commitment and determination
  • Innovative
  • Political and social climate- DDA, Social Inclusion, Equalities Agenda

On-going challenges

  • Recruitment and Training
  • Staffing levels
  • Impact on all services, of increasing numbers and complexity of needs
  • Joint Planning and Resources
  • Deaf Awareness and Service Profile

The Future??

  • Implement Single Sensory Strategy Action Plan :
    Sign Language Tuition Service
    Strategic Advisory Group
    HDES Community School?
    Deaf Children?s Team?
    Deaf specific activities programme
    Access to mainstream activities
  • Highland Paediatric Working Group (Hearing Impairment)
  • Training, investment and resources that will ensure the sustainability of the services

AWARENESS

For Highland?s Children

Fundamental principles (page 19):

  • ?a child?s race, culture, language and identity will be respected and promoted
  • services will be jointly commissioned to meet priority need
  • children will be actively encouraged to participate in their communities
  • inclusive approaches will be adopted and promoted?

Local Outcome Agreement objectives (page 24):

  • ? To support and develop the skills of teachers
  • to address inequalities, including with regard to?..disability, culture
  • to help every pupil benefit from education with particular regard paid to pupils with disabilities and special educational needs, and to Gaelic and other lesser used languages
  • to promote the involvement of children in play, culture and sport
  • to support children in need and their families and prevent family breakdown?

Liaison with other specialist agencies

  • Audiology /ENT
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Service for the Visually Impaired
  • Physiotherapy
  • Paediatric Community Nurse / Doctor
  • Health Visitor
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Voluntary Agencies
  • Educational Psychological Service
  • Social Work
  • Child Development Centre

Highland Deaf Education Service

1.0 FTE Co-ordinator
3.0 FTE Peripatetic Teachers of the Deaf
5.3 FTE Teachers of the Deaf
6.2 FTE Auxiliaries
2 Part time Sign Language Tutors
0.5 FTE Secretarial support

Deaf Services and Hearing Support Team

1.0 FTE Manager
2.0 FTE Social Workers for the Deaf
1.0 FTE Hearing Support Co-ordinator
1.0 FTE Sign Language Tutor
5.7 FTE Support Workers
1.5 FTE Secretarial support
Deaf Communication Project:
1.0 FTE Manager
0.5 FTE Clerical Support