Helpline

We provide independent information and guidance on a range of topics across the UK related to childhood deafness, including:

• Diagnosis and how to work with health professionals
• Education, including early years, special educational needs (SEN), further and higher education
• Welfare benefits and other financial support
• Communication options and support
• Technology and equipment to support deafness
• Disability discrimination issues
• Leaving school and starting college, work or finding new friends
• Finding support in your area

We can also provide information and guidance to professionals working with deaf children and young people on these issues.

If you need specialist advice we can refer you to our team of experts, children and families support officers or appeals and disputes team.

We are unable to help:

• Deaf adults over 25
• Hearing children with deaf parents
• With housing questions
• With immigration questions
• Deaf children and young people who live outside of the UK
• Those with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD).

• Set aside enough time: calls and web chats can often take up to 20 minutes
• Try to find a quiet place to contact us
• Have a pen and paper to hand, along with any paperwork you want to discuss
• When you email, include details of your child’s age and the area you live in. This will help us to give you the right information
• If your enquiry is urgent, please contact us by phone, web chat or BSL video relay during opening hours

Refer to us

Do you work with a deaf child or young person who needs help with something relating to their deafness and may struggle to access our services?

Complete our third party referral form and we can contact them or their family directly to tell them about our services and offer support.

If English is not their first language we can contact them with a phone interpreter or using Interpreter Now, a BSL video interpreting service.

Information and guidance

As well as supporting families with deaf children and young people directly we provide deaf specific information and guidance to the different professionals working with deaf children and young people and their families.

Social care advisory service

Our social care advisory service provide free specialist advice to professionals on social care assessments of children with any level of hearing loss as well as planning and providing support.

Professionals can access the social care advisory service by calling 0121 234 9825 or emailing [email protected]. 

More information about the service

Ordering resources

Professional members can order free copies of our documents and resources online.

• Calls to the helpline may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes
• You have the right to object to your data being processed: if you do, we will explain what that means
• For more detail on how we process your data, view our privacy statement

If you have a minute, it would be great if you could complete our short survey about your contact with the Helpline.