Health for all Children

The National Deaf Children’s Society

The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) is an organisation of parents, families and carers which exists to support parents in enabling their child to maximise their skills and abilities; and works to facilitate this process by every means possible. Its fundamental role is to advocate for parents and carers as and when appropriate, whilst at all times ensuring the child’s welfare is paramount.

In its role supporting parents, the NDCS works closely with professionals, helping them in their work. Professionals are invited to refer parents to the charity, which can help and support families in a broad range of issues in relation to: Audiology, technology, welfare benefits, communication and education. The charity runs a Freephone helpline on 0808 800 8880 (voice and text) or email helpline@ndcs.org.uk

The NDCS produces a number of publications designed to help professionals in their work. The majority of these are Quality Standards documents, which were developed in consultation with health professionals working with deaf children and their families. They are designed to provide benchmarks and guidelines for professionals and are the only documents of their kind in existence. These include: Quality Standards in Paediatric Audiology, covering cochlear implants, early identification of deafness, and managing hearing loss and Quality Standards in the early years: Guidelines on working with deaf children under two and their families.

Other publications include: Deaf children and young people in hospital: A guide for professionals. This is designed for professionals who do not commonly work with deaf children and contains practical hints and tips.

All publications are available via the NDCS website www.ndcs.org.uk