Our resources

You can find videos to share with the families you work with here. Our latest videos cover a number of information topics; have a look through our instructional films and family stories now.

We are creating a podcast series that will cover key information topics such as education, audiology and communication. The podcasts will be recorded in English and in community languages such as Urdu and Polish. We hope these podcasts can help you communicate key information to the families you work with.

You can listen to the podcasts here.

NDCS has produced a short, easy-to-read note for local decision-makers on the vital importance of specialist educational services for deaf children.

The guide is aimed at directors of children’s services and other local decision-makers. It is designed to:

• Provide information and advice on these services and their importance in helping deaf children achieve their potential
• Remind local decision-makers of the issues and legal requirements that need to be taken into account when proposing any changes to these vital services
• Correct some common misunderstandings about deafness.

The guide also sets out how NDCS Regional Directors work in partnership with local authorities to meet the needs of local deaf children.

Feedback on the note is very welcome and can be emailed to professionals@ndcs.org.uk.

Think Right Feel Good: a short course for promoting well-being in deaf young people is based on the Guide Dogs’ Think Right Feel Good course for promoting wellbeing in young people with vision impairment and the NDCS Healthy Minds resource.

Think Right Feel Good is offered as a resource for education professionals experienced in working with deaf young people. It is intended to contribute to the development of emotional, social and personal competencies and to complement the support that schools provide, for example through the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programmes.

You can download the resource below. If you are planning to use the resource with a group of deaf young people please also read the letter. The course has been developed by a working group led by the National Sensory Impairment Parntership (NatSIP).

The Acknowledgements section (page 3) should also include particular thanks to Jane Kilminster, Margaret Hunter and the deaf young people involved in a pilot course delivered by the Berkshire Sensory Consortium Service. 

Think Right Feel Good insert letter (22 kb)

It is important that young people know where to access information and advice. Many young people will be thinking about their future, how they will make decisions on their future and where to get advice and support. This information sheet provides details of organisations that can help young people with issues around education, employment, finance, housing, health, transport, entertainment, and their rights.

An increasing number of local authorities are considering delegating funding and responsibility for specialist education support services for hearing impaired children to a local school. NDCS has developed two model SLAs:

• A SLA between a local authority and school for supporting deaf pupils attending a resourced provision

• A SLA between a local authority and a school for the provision of specialist outreach services to deaf children and their families and schools. This can be modified to serve as a SLA between the LA and an in-house service or a third party providing the service.

The model SLAs should be adapted to meet the needs of the school and local authority. They can also be adapted to develop a SLA between the local authority and the “in-house service” or between the local authority and another organisation providing the service.

SLA for delegation resourced provision (174 kb)

SLA outreach delegation (206 kb)

NDCS and the University of Manchester have developed a framework to assist LSCBs to review arrangements for deaf children, available to download here.

This booklet sets out standards for the operation of resource provisions for deaf children and young people in primary and secondary schools throughout the UK. 

Its purpose is to improve outcomes for deaf pupils by providing a framework which:

 - helps schools evaluate the effectiveness of the education provision made for deaf children and young people

 - informs the development of school policy and plans

 - supports the development and review of service level agreements between the local authority or education board and the school hosting the resource provision

 - promotes good practice and the effective and efficient use of resources.

We have produced this booklet to help social care practitioners in the UK who are not specialists in working with deaf children, young people and their families.

Here to Learn is for mainstream school staff who have little or no experience of working with deaf children. It aims to develop their understanding of a deaf child’s needs.

The free DVD includes basic information on the practical steps which school staff can take to be more deaf aware and include deaf children and young people in all aspects of school life.

The DVD shows teachers and other school staff how to ensure deaf children in their class have full access to the curriculum and how to ensure that the school is deaf friendly.

It includes interviews with teachers, teaching assistants, teachers of deaf children, special educational needs coordinators, deaf young people and parents. It also includes examples of simulated hearing loss.

You can order your free DVD from NDCS's Freephone Helpline. The DVD is also available to view online.

These presentations are designed to be used alongside the Deaf friendly teachers training pack. They can also be used on their own.

The presentations include an introduction to deafness, information about technology, communication and the wider life of the school and advice about working with professionals and parents.

You can find out more about the presentation CD-ROM by contacting our Freephone Helpline. We have also made the presentations and accompanying video clips available online here. 

A guide for social services and partner organisations in England involved in the delivery of services to families with deaf children

This course is designed to equip young deaf people with the skills and knowledge to make choices about their future education and employment and to enable them to liveindependent lives. You can find out more about these course materials and download the modules here.

You can download the two deaf friendly packs for schools - the Activity Pack and the Teachers' Training Pack - here.

You can download the Acoustic Toolkit - with sections for schools and specialists and appendices - here.

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.

Parenting a deaf child

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.

You can search for publications just for professionals, or on a particular subject, such as 'education', for example. In addition, you can also search for publications by language.