Children & Young People

Our services are aimed at families with children and teenagers where a member of the family is Deaf. We support Deaf and hard of hearing children irrespective of the nature, onset or level of their deafness.

We support Deaf children who use sign language, those who use oral/aural forms of communication and Deaf children with Cochlear Implants.  We also support families with Deaf parents.

Our vision is to see Deaf children fully integrated into a receptive society. This is achieved in two ways:

1. By raising awareness to help break down the barriers that exist in communities.
2. Providing full and unbiased information to families so that they can make informed decisions on their child’s behalf, particularly in the areas  of communication and education.

We aim to meet the vision with the following services, which are constantly reviewed:

Home Support Visits – Personal support visits meeting the needs of Deaf children and their families through the provision of information and communication development.

Supporting Ethnic Families – Aimed at families from ethnic communities. We have staff who are native community language users and understand the cultural and religious needs of ethnic families.

Homework Clubs – Held weekly in Burnley. The children who attend Homework Clubs will receive support with their homework with Deaf adults and also meet other children and share experiences. Homework Clubs also offer an opportunity for children to discuss local, national and international news with Deaf adults and other children. Homework Clubs use various communication methods depending on the child’s needs.

Activity Clubs – Held in Blackburn and Burnley during school holidays and half terms. Activity Clubs include day trips and activities, and offer an opportunity to meet other deaf children and adult role models, develop language and communication skills as well as identity.

Language & Community Development – We provide British Sign Language classes for Deaf children and their hearing parents and family members. We can offer support for Deaf children with their written English and communication skills. We also give staff in nurseries and mainstream schools guidance on how to interact with Deaf children by showing them examples how to read books and sign stories, play games and integrate aspects from Deaf Culture in these activities.

Supporting Deaf Youth - We encourage teenagers to organise their own events, activities and meetings, and provide staff and volunteers to work with them. Our aim is to support them to become more independent so that they can build their own futures. We offer career planning when leaving school, and inform Deaf young people about their rights to benefits and other support. We also work closely with professionals to ensure Deaf young people receive correct support in various life situations. We consider ourselves experts in this area; it is natural for us to understand the needs of Deaf young people because many of our staff are Deaf themselves. We work closely with the community and meet these people every day. We understand that many professionals cannot provide full understanding and empathy in deaf issues or act as Deaf role models. Without subjective experience it may be difficult to provide support with language and communication issues, and to provide counselling which is especially suitable for deaf people.

Community Development Initiative – Raising confidence and esteem in Deaf children and supporting families is only part of the work we do. To ensure that Deaf children can participate in their local communities, we aim to increase their awareness and communication skills.

Developing Partnerships – Working with local service providers to raise awareness about the needs of Deaf children wanting to access their services.

Our staff and volunteers have the following areas of knowledge, skills and expertise:

• Child Protection
• Deaf Education
• Communication Skills
• Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants
• Deaf Awareness
• Emotional & Behavioural Problems
• Additional Disabilities – Autism, ADHD etc.
• Asian languages including Urdu & Punjabi
• Benefits, for example Disability Living Allowance
• Family Issues; Parenting Skills, Child Development

Contact Community Services Director Chantelle de la Croix for more information: chantelle.delacroix@elds.org.uk.