Social care professionals

This reference tool for England outlines the key points to consider when reviewing the needs of deaf children and their families. Early support practitioners can use this document in their assessments and when making decisions at single points of entry into children’s social care within a strengths-based approach.

Download 'Referring deaf children and young people into Early Help or social care'

We have guidance for social workers or other professionals who are carrying out a Care Act transitions assessment with a deaf young person. Although intended for professionals in England, it may be useful to other professionals across the UK. 

See the Care Act transitions assessment web page. 

The Social Workers with Deaf Children and Professionals group have developed guidance and an accompanying self-audit tool for safeguarding partners and their partnership boards in England. The purpose of the guidance is to support these bodies in considering the safeguarding needs of deaf children, young people and their families in the services they provide.

Download 'Guidance for Safeguarding Partners (England)'

Deaf children and young people in foster care – Support from the start (archived)

A practical guide giving foster carers the information they need to know when they start caring for a deaf child or young person. It includes tips and advice on communication, hearing aid technology, sounds and how we hear them, useful equipment, myth busters and signposts to further information.

Download Deaf children and young people in foster care – Support from the start

Advice on Working Together (archived)

Read our advice to local authorities and Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) in England on implementing the government's Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance so that the social care needs of deaf children and young people are considered when developing or reviewing threshold policies and protocols.

• Advice to local authorities on Working Together (archived)
• Advice to LSCBs on Working Together (archived)

Please note that these advice notes do not yet reflect changes made by the Government to Working Together in 2018. However, its general advice may still be helpful.

How you can make your resources accessible to deaf children and young people (archived)

Download How you can make your resources accessible to deaf children and young people

Positive practice standards in social services (archived)

These quality standards, produced in 2002, set out quality standards for social care services for deaf children in England.

Download Positive practice standards in social services

Social care for deaf children and young people: guidance for practitioners (archived)

This resource is aimed at social care practitioners who are not specialists in working with deaf children, young people and their families. It provides practical information relating to access to social care services, assessment and child protection.

Download Social care for deaf children and young people: guidance for practitioners

You can also download a separate file of the assessment questions for when working with deaf children and young people:

Social care for deaf children and young people assessment tools.

Social care support for deaf children - a National Deaf Children’s Society report (archived)

Our 2014 report sets out what local authorities in England told us about social care provision for deaf children.

Download our Social care support for deaf children in England (2014) report.