Organisation/Service Details
Organisation or Service
Description of activity
Our Advisory Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support team support any child or young person (0-25) with a diagnosed hearing loss. We visit children at home, in nurseries and schools throughout Barnet. We offer guidance, advice and support to children, their families, school staff and other agencies to help enable each child to develop a positive self-image and a good attitude to learning by experiencing success.
Referral Criteria
The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support team works with parents and professionals to provide support for children and young people from birth to 25, for whom hearing aids are fitted.
Children are usually referred through audiology clinics although referrals are also accepted from schools or parents.
Referral criteria
• The child must have a medical diagnosis of a hearing impairment and be fitted with hearing aids
• All referrals must be accompanied by recent medical information relating to the child’s hearing.
• Parents must have given permission for the referral to be made
• The child or young person must be resident in Barnet
Once a referral is accepted:
• Parents and/or settings will be contacted by a member of the advisory team by telephone or email within two weeks.
• An Advisory Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) will visit the home or setting within four weeks of the initial contact.
• A report will be sent to the parents, educational setting and audiology clinic within four weeks of the visit. This will include an indication of the future level of support to be provided by the HI service.
Referrals through Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP)
If a baby is referred from a hospital audiology department through NHSP a Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) will contact the family within 48 working hours of a referral being made.
The NatSIP (National Sensory Impairment Partnership) Eligibility Framework is used https://www.natsip.org.uk/ , along with professional judgement, to determine the level of support offered. This is guided by:
• Degree and type of hearing impairment
• Impact of hearing impairment on language and communication development
• Use of hearing aids or cochlear implant
• Training/mentoring of parents and key staff
• Transition support
• Support for effective use of assistive listening devices
If a child is not accepted onto our caseload, the educational setting may be sent written information outlining strategies for the classroom.