CHSWG - Children's Hearing Services Working Group (South of Tyne)

Our vision

Children and young people with hearing impairments in Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside are supported to achieve outcomes through the provision of services, across Education, Health and Social Care that are high quality, accessible and delivered in a way that addresses inequalities.

Aims

To ensure that hearing services across Education, Health and Social Care work together seamlessly keeping children, young people and families at the centre of all they do.

The group will provide overview of the development, monitoring and improvement of services for children and young people with hearing impairments and their families.

We will:

•  Influence the strategic direction of services for children and young people with hearing impairments in Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside.
• Develop best practice for partnership working to improve the delivery of services, develop information-sharing arrangements, and establish a common approach to workforce development.
• Support the effective working of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in the early detection of permanent childhood hearing impairment and respond to action plans where appropriate.
• Identify gaps in provision through the development of clear pathways and report any resource implications or inconsistency to the relevant Commissioner.
• Support and challenge specialist services on behalf of all hearing impaired children and young people, including those with conductive hearing loss, non-organic hearing loss and deaf children and young people with additional needs.
• Review policies, procedures and standards, to reflect local and national best practice.
• Advocate on behalf of children and young people with hearing impairments and their families and engage with commissioners and service providers across Health,  Education and Social Care to improve provision.
• Act on any new national/local guidance and legislation e.g. NHS England; Public Health England (PHE); National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE); Department for Education (DfE); National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS); and other local bodies with regard to deaf children, young people and their families.
• Work in partnership with children, young people and families to ensure that their views inform service developments.
• Actively promote services for children and young people with a hearing impairment for example, Local Offer, Family Services Information, service directories and service leaflets.

Frequency of meetings

The group meet three times a year.   Each service provides a written update prior to the meeting which can be read in advance by attendees.

Membership

Membership will be invited from all the organisations providing services for deaf children and young people and their families including but not limited to those listed below:

Health

• Paediatric Audiology - Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland
• ENT Consultant
• Community Paediatrician with responsibility for deaf children
• Speech and Language Therapist (SLT)
• Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Manager
• Public Health Nursing - School Nurse and / or Health Visitor
• Deaf CAMHS
• NHS England screening representative
• Cochlear Implant team

 Local authority

• Education Manager/Teacher of the deaf
• Social Care/Early Help representative
• Public Health representative

Service users

• Parents/carers
• Young people

Voluntary

• National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS)
• South of Tyne and Wearside Deaf Children's Society
• Gateshead/South Tyneside Vision and Hearing Support

Governance and accountability

In Gateshead CHSWG will report to the SEND Strategic Board sharing proposed changes, any developments and concerns.