Our friends

NDCS knows that when we work together, we are stonger. That is why we work closely with and are members of a range of other campaign bodies and interest groups that are working to improve the lives of deaf and disabled children in Scotland.

For Scotland's Disabled Children (FSDC) is the campaign to secure rights and justice for disabled children, young people and their families in Scotland. FSDC aims to ensure that Scotland's disabled children are central to new policy and action.

Why we have come together:

• Disabled children, young people and their families in Scotland have not had a high enough priority on political and public agendas. These have failed to prioritise sufficiently, or in some settings recognise, their specific needs.
  
• We recognise that there has been some positive policy progress in Scotland in recent years, and we now encourage Scotland's politicians and policy-makers to make good the commitment to get it right for every child.
  
• As a result of HM Treasury announcement of £340 million to begin transforming the services that diabled children and their families receive in England, Scotland has received £34 million under the Barnett Formula allocation. We want to see this money being used for its intended purpose for the benefit of disabled children in Scotland.

FSDC is keen to work with the Scottish Government and Parliament to address this agenda. We can brief MSPs further on the problems faced by these families, and arrange opportunities for MSPs to meet with families in their area to hear first hand about the problems they face.

We hope to work together to ensure that the Government delivers for Scotland's disabled children, young people and their families.

RNID in Scotland represents the 758,000 deaf and hard of hearing people who live in the country, as well as their families and others who work with them or on their behalf. Their staff and volunteers offer a wide range of services, including communication, information and employment services. They campaign in many areas and act to raise awareness of deafness in Scotland.

NDCS Scotland works closely with RNID Scotland to combine our strength on issues that affect deaf children.

NDCS Scotland are active members of this group which meets in the Scottish Parliament quarterly to raise awareness amongst MSPs of the issues affecting the deaf community in Scotland.

The Group is Convened by Cathie Craigie MSP, and secretariat is provided by the Scottish Council on Deafness.

Membership includes NDCS Scotland; RNID Scotland; BDA Scotland; Sense Scotland; the Scottish Sensory Centre and the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI).

NDCS Scotland is an active member of this group which meets in the Scottish Parliament quarterly to ensure issues affecting children and young people are recognised and discussed throughout the working of the Scottish Parliament, in order to ensure that the needs and rights of children and young people are met throughout Scotland.

The Group is co-convened by Rogin Harper MSP and Robert Brown MSP. The group secretariat is provided by Children in Scotland.

Based at Edinburgh University, the Scottish Sensory Centre (SSC) exists for everyone who is involved in the education of deaf children, deafblind children and visually impaired children and young people, the young people themselves and their families.

The Scottish Sensory Centre promotes and supports new developments and effective practices in the education of children and young people with sensory impairments (visual impairment, deaf and deafblind)

It achieves this by means of CPD short courses, conferences, research and providing a postal resource library and by dissemination of reports, research, course materials and new developments via this website, publications and presentations.

The SSC collaborates with:

• education authorities
• schools and groups of teachers
• voluntary organisations
• parents groups
• young people themselves.

NDCS works closely with the SSC on a variety of issues, particularly relating to research relating to deaf children in education and early years support.

We're currently active members of the SSC Working Group on Early Years Support for Deaf Children and their Families in Scotland.

NDCS are long-term members of Children in Scotland, the national agency for voluntary, statutory and professional organisations and individuals working with children and their families in Scotland.

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