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Brent Deaf and Hearing Impaired Service

Brent Deaf and hearing Support Service (BDHSS)

The Brent Deaf and hearing Support Service (BDHSS) aims to ensure children and young people with a diagnosed hearing loss have equality of opportunity alongside their hearing peers to reach their full potential.

It is one of two teams which make up Brent’s Sensory Support Service. The team works alongside the Brent Vision Impairment Service (BVIS).

The service supports children and young people from birth to 25, who are with or without additional needs. There are over 250 children and young people with a diagnosed hearing loss in Brent.

It works within the home, and from early years settings through to secondary schools and colleges. It works with parents, carers, teachers and other professionals.

The hearing impairment team is made up of:

  • advisory teachers of the deaf with a qualification in teaching children and young people with hearing impairment
  • a deaf instructor who teaches British Sign Language (BSL)
  • an audiology technician

Contact details

Phone:
Email:
Address:

Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley

HA9 0FJ

What we do

The teams delivers a range of support in the home and in schools and colleges.

Home support includes:

  • home visits for babies and under-fives diagnosed with a hearing loss or Auditory Processing Disorder
  • hearing aid/cochlear implant (CI) checks
  • provision of Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)
  • support for parents/carers in encouraging hearing aid/CI use
  • assessing functional hearing and vision
  • providing auditory verbal therapy (AVT)
  • supporting parents/carers to help a child or young person develop specific skills, for example, supporting a deaf child in communicating with those around them
  • providing opportunities to learn British Sign Language (BSL).

Support in schools and colleges including:

  • training for school staff and providing ongoing support and lesson planning on hearing impairment issues
  • advising on inclusive strategies and approaches in the classroom, including the improvement of diagnostics
  • helping with exam and access arrangements, school trips and work experience
  • teaching specialist skills like listening skills, social skills and British Sign Language (BSL)
  • providing Assistive Listening Devices to children and young people and advising on the use and maintenance of all hearing equipment
  • contributing to EHC assessments, annual reviews and Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings.

Training opportunities

The team offers training to individuals or groups including:

  • a one-off awareness raising session on deafness/hearing impairment
  • approaches and strategies teachers can use in the classroom to ensure particular children are fully included
  • in-depth training for key staff, including class teachers or subject teachers
  • training for school support staff to help them to be effective in their role and promoting independent learning
  • training for other professionals such as therapists.

Contact the team for more details.

Referrals to BDHSS

Most of the children and young people with hearing impairment are referred to the service by the hospital that diagnosed their hearing impairment. If this is not the case then referrals can be made by:

  • parents directly by contacting the service and completing and signing a referral form
  • your child’s educational setting special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) or key worker

Referrals can only be accepted with a referral form signed by a parent or carer.

Once the referral is made, the team:

  • will make initial contact within 5 working days and complete an initial visit within 10 working days
  • records of visits will be shared with the educational setting and home

Information to download

Hearing impairment

Sensory impairment