Helpline
Not sure what support and services you need? Do you have a question about childhood deafness?
Our Helpline is here to help. We give free independent information and guidance on a range of topics relating to childhood deafness.
We can refer you to our free support services, if you need extra help.
We also give information and guidance to professionals working with deaf children and young people.
Contacting our Helpline
- Freephone: 0808 800 8880
Free from all UK landlines and major UK mobile providers.
If needed we can call you with an interpreter in your preferred language for free.
Don’t call while you are driving, including hands free. This is in accordance with guidance from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
- Email: helpline@ndcs.org.uk
We aim to respond within 10 working days. If your enquiry is urgent please choose a different way to contact us.
- Interpreter Now British Sign Language (BSL) video interpreting
Contact us by making a free* video call with a BSL interpreter. Access the service on your smartphone or tablet with the Interpreter Now app, or on a computer with a webcam. Find out more about BSL video interpreting.
*The call is free over Wi-Fi and uses your data allowance if you’re on 3G or 4G.
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
- 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.