Resources and training for professionals

A selection of resources and reports about parenting a deaf child are available. The reports and consultations reflect the processes that the Parenting project undertook to deliver practical resources for parents of deaf children.

The NDCS Parenting project commissioned a review into parenting a deaf child. This Psycho-social literature-based framework was carried out as part of a needs assessment and development study into parenting and deaf children. Written by Dr Alys Young, University of Manchester and supported by the Department of Health.

Also commissioned was the Report of the needs assessment study. This report presents the findings from a study of over 1,300 parents of deaf children. The focus of the report is on parenting - how this is understood, described, challenged and practiced by parents of deaf children.

The Parenting a deaf child project conducted a comprehensive research of mainstream parenting programmes. This Audit of parenting organisation & the parents consultation report.

Gathering the views of parents and professionals by using questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and parent focus groups. Findings showed that mainstream parenting courses did not meet all the of the needs of parents with a deaf child.

The project also created a 10-week parenting course for parents of a deaf child aged up to about 11 years old. The course has been piloted and parents say they communicate better and have a better relationship with their deaf child as a result of attending. 

NDCS is now offering one-off free training to professionals working with parents of deaf children in how to deliver this course. The training will be in London on 30 March 2011. We will cover the main topics in the course as well as tips and hints on how to set up and run a successful course in your area.

The course will not cover facilitation skills so participants should already have experience of working with families with a deaf child, a facilitation qualification or be trained to deliver an existing mainstream parenting course.

Download the flyer here: Delivering our 'Parenting a deaf child' programme (29 kb)

Please contact parenting@ndcs.org.uk for further information.