Services for deaf children in Kent
Specialist services for deaf children have declined generally in recent years, but Kent is showing what can be done with a small dedicated team.
A recent report by the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) found that the division of social services departments into dedicated children's and adults teams in 2004 had led to the loss of many specialist services for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
The report warned that provision for deaf children in many councils only consisted of distributing hearing aids and intervening in emergency cases.
The deaf services children and families team at Kent Council is doing things differently. In 2006, it inherited Kent's former specialist deaf services team. Team manager Lynn Stow says: "We had staff who understood the impact of our work on deaf children, and the managers recognised that - it seemed a natural progression to have a dedicated service."
The disabled children's service supports children with profound disabilities. "A lot of deaf children wouldn't meet that criteria," she says. "But if a family feels that deafness is having an impact on their child we will help them."
The team comprises four specialist social workers and a support worker. Two are deaf, and all are trained in British Sign Language (BSL) and communicating with deaf children. "Oral communication is different and there are limitations on lip-reading," Stow says. "It's important to be able to communicate directly with the child - if you're working through a hearing parent you're not getting their thoughts and feelings."
The team's expertise means they understand how deafness can prevent a child reaching their full potential, she says. "Because we are skilled in all communication methods we can make an assessment and provide whatever services are needed. If you don't understand how deafness affects a child's development you will only intervene at a very high level. By then you're working to minimise the damage and missing a vast opportunity to work in a preventive way."
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