Starting Out: Supporting Deaf Babies, Children and their Families in the Early Years 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Please be advised that we are monitoring developments with the coronavirus in the UK. We hope to run the conference as planned, but will follow government guidance nearer the time. If we have to postpone or cancel it, we will let you know and offer the option to attend at a date later in the year, or a refund.
Are you a professional working with deaf children (0-7 years) and their families?
Join us for our upcoming conference, where we will bring together leaders and practitioners to share ideas for supporting families and carers of deaf children in the early years.
Date: 1 July 2020
Location: IET Birmingham: Austin Court, 80 Cambridge St, Birmingham, B1 2NP
Cost: £130 per ticket
Early bird offer: A limited number of tickets are available at £120 per ticket, on a first come first served basis.
Tickets sales will close at midday on 12 June 2020.
Conference overview
Five babies are born deaf every day in the UK. We know they can do anything other children can do, given the right support from the start. Families and carers have the greatest influence on a child's outcomes but they need your support to access clear, balanced information and make informed choices.
Our conference will highlight best practice and guidance and give you practical ideas for supporting deaf children and their families.
This event will be focussed around 3 main themes;
- Language and communication development
- Emotional and social development
- Empowering families
Families will play a central role in the conference; you will have the opportunity to hear about personal experiences first-hand from families of deaf children.
Who is it for?
This full day conference is designed for all professionals working with deaf children (0-7 years) and their families.
Why attend?
Hear from high profile leaders and practitioners about the importance of supporting families and carers of deaf children in the early years. Gain insight into the challenges faced and best practice ideas in improving the support provided to them.
Meet the speakers
Workshops on the day
A. Supporting pragmatic development: how deaf babies learn to communicate and use language for social interaction.
This workshop is led by:
- Dr Danielle Matthews, Reader in Cognitive Development, The University of Sheffield.
- Dr Ciara Kelly, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield.
B. What does best practice in early support look like and how do we know? Insights from international research and evaluation.
This workshop is led by:
- Gwen Carr, Consultant in Early Years Hearing Detection and Intervention and Family-Centred Practice/Hon. Senior Research Associate, UCL Ear Institute.
C. Time to play: making language learning purposeful, fun and engaging.
This workshop is led by:
- Noel Kenely, Senior Auditory Verbal Therapist, AVUK.
D. Working with priority families
This workshop is led by:
- Carla Rose-Hardman, Family Programmes and Involvement Manager - Early Years and Family Engagement, National Deaf Children's Society.
- Alison Skinner, Priority Families Engagement Officer - Early Years and Family Engagement, National Deaf Children's Society.
E. Active and Ready to Learn: sensory motor play for deaf babies and toddlers aimed at promoting physical development and communication
This workshop is led by:
- Leianne Bayliss, Head of Early Years, National Deaf Children’s Society.