save A guide to fighting cuts to services for deaf children in your area

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1 save A guide to fighting cuts to services for deaf children in your area

2 1 Our vision is of a world without barriers for every deaf child.

3 The National Deaf Children s Society (NDCS) is aware that, due to a reduction in budgets, a number of local authorities across England are cutting specialist support services for deaf children, including cuts to staff working with deaf children, such as Teachers of the Deaf. If your local authority is planning cuts there are a number of things you can do to challenge them laid out in this guide. 1 Ten things you can do to fight cuts Find out what s happening in your area Know your rights 4 Contact your local councillors Contact your local MP 7 Set up a petition 9 6 Respond to local consultations Attend a public meeting or set one up 11 Work together 11 Tell us your story 11 save 0 Contact the NDCS Freephone Helpline 11 3

4 1. Find out what s happening in your area Find out what NDCS knows about any cuts and the specialist support available to deaf children in your area in England as well as the rest of the UK by visiting our special cuts map on our website at 2. Know your rights NDCS is part of the Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign, which has produced a number of useful resources for parents on disabled children s rights. Using the Law to Fight the Cuts to Disabled Children s Services is a particularly helpful guide and can be downloaded here: resources.aspx#f. Another useful guide which includes information about your child s rights can be downloaded here: 4

5 3. Contact your local councillors There are a range of people in the council you could contact we suggest you or write to the Lead Member for Children s Services. This person is an elected official responsible for making decisions on funding for children s services. If you have time, you could copy your or letter to your local councillor who is there to represent the views of local people like you. Overleaf is a suggested template letter that you can copy and paste into an or letter and send off as soon as you have completed the sections in [square brackets like this]. However, we recommend that you personalise the letter. Your letter is likely to have more impact if you set out your personal experiences. How old is your deaf child? What school do they go to? What help does your deaf child already receive? What difference does this help make? Are there any difficulties you might have had in the past in making sure your deaf child got the help they need? Have you already noticed a change to the quality of the service? Who to contact? You can find the contact details for your Lead Member for Children s Services on your local authority website. To find your local authority website, visit: Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm. You can also copy the message to your local councillors who are there to represent your views at local level the same way MPs do at a national level. Use the write to them website: to find out who your local councillors are. Simply enter your postcode and the website will give you their names and addresses. Be sure to contact those who are members of councils responsible for education and social services. Don t forget to forward any responses you receive to the NDCS Campaigns team (contact details on the back page). 5

6 Text for /letter to your Lead Member [Name and address of lead member] [Date] [insert your name and address for letters] Dear Councillor [insert name of lead member] I am writing as [a worried parent of a deaf child/member of this community delete as appropriate] to express my anger that [my deaf child/deaf children] will be among those hardest hit by spending cuts in [insert name of local authority/ council]. Deaf children are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK today. Local authority specialist support services for deaf children are an essential front-line service providing much needed support for families [like mine]. For example, early years support is vital in helping to develop the language and communication skills of deaf children. Visiting Teachers of the Deaf also help deaf children in the classroom by providing expert advice to mainstream teachers on how to teach deaf children, as well as providing one-to-one teaching. I am alarmed to discover that [insert any details about cuts here]. I find it very hard to believe that these reductions can be made without any negative impact on [my deaf child/deaf children]. I am concerned that [my deaf child/deaf children] will receive much less support or, worse, that they will no longer receive any direct help from a Teacher of the Deaf. This is unacceptable and unfair. I would be grateful if you could: set out what steps the council is taking to make sure that the level of service deaf children receive will remain unchanged find out if it is possible for the local authority to reconsider the reductions they are making to these vital services. I look forward to hearing from you urgently. [I have copied this letter to my local councillor.] Yours sincerely [in s include your contact details below your name] 6

7 4. Contact your local MP Your local MP can help you raise concerns with your local council and in Westminster. When contacting your MP, always make sure you have strong evidence to support your case and be as clear and concise as possible. Illustrate your case with personal and real examples and be clear about what you are asking your MP to do. You may want to request a meeting with your MP along with a group of parents. Most MPs will hold a local surgery where they meet with constituents you can find out about surgery times from your local paper, your MP s website or your local Citizens Advice Bureau. Overleaf is a suggested template letter that you can copy and paste into an or letter and send off as soon as you have completed the sections in [square brackets like this]. However, we recommend that you personalise the or letter. Your is likely to have more impact if you set out your personal experiences. How old is your deaf child? What school do they go to? What help does your deaf child already receive? What difference does this help make? Are there any difficulties you might have had in the past in making sure your deaf child got the help they need? Have you already noticed a change to the quality of the service? You can find out if your MP signed the NDCS election pledge to help deaf children, close the gap in educational attainment and improve public services here: If they did, don t forget to remind them of their promise! How to find your MP s contact details All MPs can be contacted at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or by calling You can find out who your MP is and their address by visiting and entering your postcode. If you would like to set up a web page including an online action so people in your area can contact their MP please contact the NDCS Campaigns team on campaigns@ndcs.org.uk or We may also be able to help you drum up support to challenge cuts by contacting NDCS members in your area. 7

8 Text for /letter to your MP [insert name] MP [Insert name and House of Commons address for letters] Westminster London SW1A 0AA [Date] Dear [insert name] MP I am writing as [a worried parent of a deaf child/constituent delete as appropriate] to express my anger that [my deaf child/deaf children delete as appropriate] will be among those hardest hit by spending cuts in [insert name of local authority/council]. Deaf children are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK today. Local authority specialist support services for deaf children are an essential front-line service providing much needed support for families like mine. For example, early years support is vital in helping to develop the language and communication skills of deaf children. Visiting Teachers of the Deaf also help deaf children in the classroom by providing expert advice to mainstream teachers on how to teach my child, as well as providing one-to-one teaching. I am alarmed to discover that [insert details you know about cuts here]. I find it very hard to believe that these reductions can be made without any negative impact on [my deaf child/deaf children]. I am concerned that [my deaf child/deaf children] will receive much less support or, worse, that they will no longer receive any direct help from a Teacher of the Deaf. This is unacceptable and unfair. I would be grateful if you could contact [insert name of local authority] to ask them: what steps they are taking to make sure that the level of service [my deaf child/ deaf children receive/s] will remain unchanged to reconsider reductions to these vital services. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely [Insert name and address for s] Don t forget to forward any responses you receive to the Campaigns team (contact details on the back page). 8

9 5. Set up a petition Setting up a petition on your local authority s website is a good way to raise awareness of your concerns and to get others in your community to show their support. In many local authorities, if a petition gets over a certain number of signatures the council must investigate concerns. Parents in Bedfordshire managed to get double the number of signatures needed to ensure that proposed plans to cut services for deaf children are further investigated. Since 15 December 2010 all local authorities in England by law have to have an e-petitioning system. Visit your local authority website to find out how to set up an e-petition. Find their website at this address: Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm. Setting up your e-petition Think about a good title for your petition and a statement explicitly setting out what action you would like the council to take (a call for action ). including any information which you feel is relevant to the e-petition and reasons why you consider the action requested to be necessary. a date for when your e-petition will go live on the website. It may take a few days to set up so it s a good idea to get it in early a date for when your e-petition will stop collecting signatures. In order to achieve the maximum impact, this could be prior to a meeting of the council where it can be considered. save my services All local authorities will have their own guidance on setting up an e-petition so be sure to read this first. Overleaf, we have prepared some text which you can use as a template if you decide to set up an e-petition. Don t forget to insert the name of your local authority in the relevant places. M NEWS National group attacks shocking changes to support f Picture: Mark Scott Case study In Stoke on Trent, where the council have cut Teachers of the Deaf by 50%, a petition was set up which received over 500 signatures. This helped generate a lot of local media coverage for the issue and put pressure on the council to reverse their decision. Campaigners fight deaf teaching cuts BY CATHERINE BALL catherine.ball@thesentinel.co.uk PARENTS are demanding a council rethinks plans to cut funding for teachers of deaf children. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has axed four teachers who work with hearingimpaired children since January last year. And more redundancies are feared as the council restructures its support services for children with special educational needs. There are now just four visiting teachers of the deaf, who work with children and their families in their own homes from the moment they are diagnosed. They help them get the support they need and even go into mainstream schools to work with teachers. The city has 200 deaf children, which means each teacher is now juggling the The National Deaf Children s Society (NDCS) has now launched a campaign calling on the authority to reinstate the four axed posts, arguing that the council is putting the needs of deaf children behind those of other young people. Jo Campion, NDCS deputy director for policy and campaigns, said: The shocking reduction in crucial services for deaf children in Stoke-on-Trent is the worst we have seen so far. Deafness is not a learning disability and with the right support in place, deaf children can do anything other children can. We are asking local people to join in our nationwide campaign to save services for deaf children and demand that the city council reinstates these posts. Apetition has been signed by 203 people since it went on the council s website on But the NDCS says deaf children need more support than they are getting, not less. It says the reduction of support is likely to leave deaf children in Stoke-on-Trent at risk of developing weaker communication skills. Councillor Debra Gratton, the city council s cabinet member for children and young people s services, pictured below, said: Due to cuts imposed by central Government, we have had to look hard at making savings across the board and in many service areas. The restructure of the central support services for special educational needs and disability will provide a more integrated service for supporting deaf children in mainstream schools. We would like toreassure parents that the careful restructuring means there will 9

10 Template text for e-petition on local authority websites Title: Giving deaf children a fair chance We, the undersigned, petition the council to stop cuts to specialist support services for deaf children. We call on [insert name of local authority] to reverse the cuts, protect services for deaf children and ensure all deaf children in [insert name of local authority] have a fair chance to achieve. Deaf children are already among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK today. Deafness is not a learning disability. Evidence shows that with the right support, deaf children can achieve as well as other children. Specialist support services for deaf children offer a vital lifeline to deaf children and their families by providing support to families, directly teaching deaf children, advising mainstream teachers and much more. Deaf children risk being among those hardest hit, despite the disadvantages they already face. Reducing the support for deaf children will undermine their achievement, confidence and well-being. This is unfair and unacceptable. We, the undersigned, call on [insert name of local authority] to reverse these cuts, protect services for deaf children and ensure all deaf children in [insert name of local authority] have a fair chance to achieve. 10

11 6. Respond to local consultations Check your local authority website to see if they are running a consultation with residents about where they should and should not cut funds. Ask them to protect services for deaf children. Explain why they are so vital for your child and encourage others to do the same. You can find your local authority s website here: Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm. 7. Attend a public meeting or set one up Local authority meetings such as Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings are open to the public and are where plans affecting services for deaf children will be discussed. Check your local authority website for future meetings. Find your local authority s website here: Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm. If cuts are planned in your area, you can also set up your own meeting for others who are worried and invite the decision-makers along. NDCS can help you set this up. the Campaigns team on campaigns@ndcs.org.uk for more information. 8. Work together Joining forces with other parents in your area will give you a stronger voice. Visit the NDCS website at to find your nearest group and for more information on how to set one up if there isn t already one in your area. 9. Tell us your story If you find out about cuts to services for deaf children in your area, let us know. We will work alongside you to fight cuts and to protect services for deaf children. Contact us see the details below. You can also contact us if you have a cuts-related personal story you would like to share to help NDCS in our national campaigning and local and national media work. 10. Contact the NDCS Freephone Helpline Don t forget that if your family is experiencing individual problems accessing services related to a child s deafness, NDCS is here to help. You can call the Freephone Helpline Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm on or helpline@ndcs.org.uk. 11

12 For more information and advice on how to challenge cuts to services for deaf children in your area, contact the NDCS Campaigns team as below: or If you would like to order printed copies or copies in alternative formats, please contact us. Published by the National Deaf Children s Society NDCS May Dufferin Street, London EC1Y 8UR Tel: (voice and text) Fax: NDCS is a registered charity in England and Wales no and in Scotland no. SC