Peripatetic Support Service for Deaf Children
The Peripatetic Support Service for Deaf Children
The IPaSS Peripatetic Support Service for Deaf Children team consists of Qualified and Training Teachers of the Deaf, Specialised Teaching Assistants and Deaf Instructors.
Our role is to enable all deaf young people achieve their potential regardless of their hearing level. We achieve this by providing young people and school staff with the tools to remove any barriers in their educational setting, which will allow them access to the curriculum. The team visits nursery, primary, secondary, special and college settings across Hull.
The children and young people’s support needs in respect of their hearing levels are accessed using the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP) Eligibility Framework to determine the levels of support provided by IPaSS. The frequency of visits can range from weekly (A2) to Annual (C3). They frequency of visits can change depending on the needs of the child.
How we can support
The team support deaf children to develop their language and communication skills, along with providing practical guidance to parents/carers and educational settings on all aspects of communication. When appropriate, we teach children both one to one and in small groups.
The team support babies diagnosed as deaf by the New-born Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) by providing guidance and offering advice. The IPaSS Preschool group for deaf children runs fortnightly at Fenchurch children’s centre for deaf/ hard of hearing babies from birth up until school age. The group gives families the opportunity to meet each other and talk through their experiences. An IPaSS Deaf Instructor teaches British Sign language (BSL) related to the weekly topic. The families also have access to and play in the sensory room. The aim of the group is to develop language and communication skills.
The team provide regular visits to home and/or settings and provide a wide range of information and advice about deafness and related issues. The team delivers Deaf Awareness training to mainstream settings.
We promote the importance of developing social and emotional skills by providing students with National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) – Healthy Minds and AQA Life Skills where appropriate. We teach these sessions both one to one and in small groups.
We encourage and support the young person and their parents/carers to use and look after their audiological equipment such as hearing aids, cochlear implants and radio aids.
It is important that we teach the young person about their own hearing loss, aiding them to become an advocate for themselves, by taking on responsibility for their hearing technology and ultimately having the confidence to say when the listening environment is not accessible to them.
The team strive to build positive relationships with parents, carers and professionals and promote child-centred, multi-agency working. We have regular liaison with other relevant professionals, including Audiology, The Yorkshire Auditory Implant Centre, Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychologists and The National Deaf Children’s Society.
