Archived decisions
CHILDREN'S SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children
Proposed Communication Policy
Principles
Hampshire County Council services working with deaf and HI children and their families adhere to the Council's Equalities Policy Statement and related legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and support the corporate aims of the County Council.
Hampshire County Council Children's Services Department believes that communication is fundamental to the quality of life, cognitive development, personal interaction and self-esteem of children and young people. Good communication skills are fundamental to the achievement of the five outcomes for children and young people set out in the Children Act 2004;
· Be healthy
· Stay safe
· Enjoy and achieve
· Make a positive contribution
· Achieve economic wellbeing
In learning to communicate there is a range of communication options available to deaf and hearing impaired children. Children's communication needs may change over time and they may need to access a range or combination of communication modes at times.
Families with young deaf and hearing impaired children are supported to make informed choices regarding the most appropriate modes of communication for each child and, through this, the child's full potential will be developed in education and daily life.
Hampshire County Council offers educational placements, from pre-school to KS 4, which include this range of communication approaches, and strategic decision making and resourcing do not reflect value judgements about one option compared with another.
Aims
Hampshire County Council seeks to:
· provide families with comprehensive information regarding the range of communication options available in order that they can make an informed choice for their deaf and hearing impaired child in ways that are sensitive to their individual strengths, resources, needs and experience;
· take account of and respecting children's rights in choosing, using and supporting appropriate communication modes;
· offer support, advice and training to staff in pre-school settings and schools regarding the communication needs of the child and the communication approaches that should be available and reflected, where appropriate, in the child's individual communication plan.
Procedures
Hampshire County Council services will work closely with families of deaf and hearing impaired children to:
· provide knowledge and information which is comprehensive, unbiased and evidence-based about the range of communication options available;
· outline the importance of family involvement and commitment to the chosen mode of communication;
· provide support to enable families to develop communication in whichever mode/modes is/are deemed appropriate to the child at the time;
· provide information on the range of educational provision available to meet the child's communication needs.
Staff in schools, pre-schools and other settings will be offered the following as appropriate:
· information regarding the implications of the child's communication needs for his/her educational development and participation in school activities;
· advice regarding appropriate support that may be required by the child, e.g. classroom assistants, qualified teacher time, communicators for children using sign language, note takers;
· support and training in the implementation of appropriate strategies and approaches;
· advice and support in the use and management of audiological resources.
Staff involvement
Hampshire County Council services involved with deaf and hearing impaired children and their families implement this policy with the children on their caselist, and in supporting other professionals working with deaf and HI children and their families..
References
Reference should be made to:
RNID publications: "Effective early intervention for deaf children 0-5 and their families" pages 49 - 54.
"Effective inclusion of deaf pupils into mainstream schools" pages 12 - 18.
NDCS publications: Factsheet - Communicating with your deaf child.