Deaf Pupil Education and Social Services

Highland Deaf Children's Services

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

The Highlands

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

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

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)

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

Deaf Pupil Education and Social Services