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Hearing Support Service

 

We are a team of Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QTOD). We are a peripatetic service providing support to children and young people from pre-school to post-16 with hearing loss in Southwark.

 

What can the Hearing Support Service help with?

We work directly with children and young people and their families by providing post-diagnosis support and ongoing advice regarding: 

  • language development
  • communication
  • self-advocacy
  • deaf awareness
  • technology
  • educational journey  
  • wellbeing.  

We also tailor our support for mainstream and special educational settings by: 

  • contributing to assessment and the production of EHCPs 
  • advising on the adaptation of the curriculum, modifications needed, exam arrangements, etc 
  • delivering deaf awareness training to staff in settings about hearing loss, speech perception, room acoustics, personal amplification devices, and communication strategies  
  • disseminating good practice 
  • linking to other professionals and services.

We visit and support during term time.   

Southwark also hosts a primary resource base for children with hearing loss, at St John’s and St Clement’s Primary School.

 

How to access our service

Children are referred to our service from Audiology and ENT services in Hospitals. Below are some indicators which may point to a potential hearing loss and also the process to can follow to refer a child or young person to Audiology services.

When you suspect a child at school may have difficulty hearing: 

  • their language is delayed 
  • their speech may be disordered 
  • they may be inattentive or easily distractable.

 

How to refer children to Audiology

Either:

  • Speak to the parents and suggest they go to the GP to get a referral to Audiology services at St Thomas’ Hospital.
  • Ask the school nurse to refer them.
  • Ask their Speech and Language Therapist  to refer them. 

Our service can only accept referrals from audiology and ENT services. 

Children diagnosed with a hearing loss from the Audiology services and ENT departments will be referred to the Hearing Support Service. The Hearing Support Service will then contact the parent/carers and school to arrange support.  

The Hearing Support Service have a statuary duty to provide reports for children diagnosed with hearing loss who are requesting an EHCP. 

 

How to contact us

If you are unsure of how to proceed or need advice on supporting a child who may have a hearing loss please contact us on: