Hearing impairment (HI)

Deafness, or hearing loss, happens when one or more parts of the ear are not working effectively, and this therefore affects how well someone can hear sound. This can then impact on how a child develops speech and language skills, as they cannot hear certain sounds well or clearly.

Some people are born deaf, which is called congenital deafness. Other people become deaf later in life, which is called acquired deafness. Sometimes doctors may not know why someone is deaf. Even with lots of testing, sometimes the exact reason cannot be identified.

Hearing loss is a widespread issue, particularly among older adults. In the UK, it's estimated that around 1 in 3 adults are affected by hearing loss. This equates to roughly 18 million people in the UK, with a significant portion experiencing it as they age. Hearing impairment is prevalent in children, affecting approximately 2 in 1000 children in the UK, with about half of these cases being congenital, meaning present at birth. Around 50,000 children in the UK have some form of hearing loss, according to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.

Below you will find links to learning and development sessions, resources, and recommended websites.

Course	Summary	Link
Introduction to Deaf Awareness	This CPD-accredited online learning is the perfect place to start improving your deaf awareness. In 15 minutes, you’ll learn about: some of the challenges faced by deaf children and young people when communicating with hearing people strategies to make lip-reading easier the basics of British Sign Language (BSL), including fingerspelling and greeting signs	Click here to enrol
Introduction to childhood deafness	This module is the perfect place to start learning about childhood deafness. It only takes 15 minutes to complete. By the end of this module you'll be able to: describe the impact that deafness in the early years can have on a child if they do not get the support they need take simple steps to improve communication with deaf children identify where you can get more support and information on childhood deafness	Click here to enrol
Needs of deaf children and young people	This course is for non-specialist social care professionals working with deaf children in a range of social care settings. This module is an introduction to the social care needs of a deaf child. It focuses on the challenges and risks that deafness can pose to deaf children and their families without the right support in place. Using 3 everyday scenarios across various age ranges, it highlights these challenges and provides practical advice on how social care advice and support may help. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to: explain the social care needs of deaf children and their families identify the indicators of where additional social care support may be needed describe what you need to do if you have any concerns	Click here to enrol
Introduction to British Sign Language (BSL)	Delivered on Teams by a Deaf Instructor from DAHIT (The Deaf and Hearing Impaired Team), this two hour online introduction to BSL session will help you to gain the ability to communicate with Deaf people using British Sign Language. The session has been separated into two one-hour sessions, and you must attend both parts to complete the course. The content will include a range of real-life vocabulary, for example: Meeting and greeting people Family and friends At home Transport and work Sport, hobbies and activities Food and drink Calendar, weather and feelings Holiday and travel	Click here to enrol Save the dates: new dates soon to be added to PAL for June 10th & July 8th, 11.30am-12pm
sPodcast: Supporting d/Deaf children — putting the child at the centre of decision making	Language and communication barriers faced by d/Deaf children and young people can manifest in a way that increases safeguarding risk. It's important that there are professionals who can understand and communicate with a child or young person if they need to report or disclose any issues they are experiencing. In this podcast episode, a panel of experts from the Social Workers with Deaf Children and Professionals Working Group explore how the differing language and communication needs of d/Deaf children can affect their safety and the child protection support they receive.	Click here to enrol