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New National Deaf Children’s Society Scotland resources

  • Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 14th July 2021
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NDCS have released a new BSL in Scotland: language and communication guide for families and for professionals.

Professionals and families living in Scotland have helped National Deaf Children’s Society Scotland produce a new guide for BSL in Scotland around language and communication.

There have been two versions of the resource made available:

The purpose of the guide is to support parents of deaf children in Scotland who have chosen British Sign Language (BSL) as the language and communication option for their child. The Scottish Government has committed to ensuring that families with deaf children are offered the right information and support at the right time to engage with BSL. Local authorities and health boards are required to publish their plans addressing how they will do this.

The guide sets out some key tips and resources, what support should be available in Scotland, and how the National Deaf Children’s Society can help.

This guide supports professionals working with deaf children and their families in Scotland to find out more about early years language and communication. The guide also lists several other
resources that could be helpful.

Many professionals have a lot of experience and expertise in supporting the development of language and communication among deaf children. Other professionals may work less frequently with deaf children but still have a key role to play in supporting this work. This guide can be used a reference point for Scottish audiologists, paediatricians, speech and language therapists, teachers of the deaf, health visitors, mainstream teachers and social workers.

The guide details the services and resources provided by the National Deaf Children’s Society, which professionals can access online, and video case studies which can be used at appointments and shared with families you work with. There is also reference to the type of support that is available from different public bodies in Scotland. Some key principles developed through feedback from deaf children and their families are also set out to ensure consistency in the messages and communication they receive.

For further information, please visit NDCS’s website (this link will take you away from our website).

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