Having your voice heard at CHSWG meetings

As a recognised charity, affiliated with the National Deaf Children’s Society, we have been invited to attend the local CHSWG Meetings. CHSWG is the Children’s Hearing Service Working Group which is made up of professionals such as audiologists, speach therapists and Teachers of the Deaf, and support staff from various groups. It has the aim to improve local services for Deaf children and young people. These meetings are held twice a year and are a place to share the views of parents and carers accessing their services.

Here is a summary of the key points covered:

• Several maternity leaves mean different aspects of the service are short staffed and there are heavy restrictions on recruitment, but they’re working their way through this.
• MRI scans are minimal. Only usually one a month currently which is affecting wait lists for implantation.
• They are currently working on a new transition to adulthood programme.
• Hampshire County Council’s Teachers of the Deaf have been having some issues with equipment but there has been £10,000 invested in ‘listening cubes.’
• Louise, a representative from the National Deaf Children’s Society, spoke at the meeting about their ‘Resource Provision Pathway’ in which they encourage RP schools to use positive language on websites and provide access to Teachers of the Deaf. Young people should see RPs as a positive option and they’re an important part of a deaf young person’s education pathway.
• Diana Vincent from Southampton City Council gave the following updates:
  o Newlands School officially opened in January and is doing well.
  o There is Teacher of the Deaf cover at Redbridge. Her name is Kylie and she is back from maternity leave.
  o There is a new pathway for children with conductive hearing loss ie glue ear, to enable the Teachers of the Deaf to spend more time with kids with permanent hearing loss.
  o Katie Cresswell is due back after this academic year.
  o Attendance at the parent/ child coffee group has dwindled. They put this down to parents accessing support from The Elizabeth Foundation, SHDCS, etc. They are looking at a way of moving forward and are thinking of a 6 week targeted programme which could include SHDCS and Speach and Language Therapists.
  o Teacher of the Deaf Dave Watkins is campaigning re equipment issues eg battery issues with Phonak i.e. refusing to repair when batteries one week out of warranty etc. Dave has written an article on deaf children and gaming which has been published in a professional publication of British Association of Teachers Of Deaf Children and Young People (BATOD). He’s also been invited to speak at their conference!
  o The service have purchased their first lot of ‘eduMic’
  o Parents have fed back to Diana that they like the hearing loss simulator used at audiology clinic.
• Zahra Tatheer a parent whose child attends Newlands, reported that she is very happy with the school and asked if it will expand and Diana confirmed they hope there’ll be a few more places each year.
• Sarah gave a summary of what SHDCS has been up to recently and encouraged those present to spread the word about this years special AGM.

We are invited to attend the next CHSWG meeting in July. If you have anything you wish to be raised please email Rosie at secretary@shdcs.org.uk.