Next BSMHD members meeting and AGM - Birmingham, 27 October 2009

The 2009 Annual General Meeting will be held at National Deaf Mental Health Service, Jasmine Suite, The Barberry, 25 Vincent Drive , Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2FB on 27 October. Attendance is free, if you wish to attend please register your place by emailing to [email protected]

Healthy Deaf Minds - London

The next meeting of the Healthy Deaf Minds London Group will be on Wednesday 2 December 2009 at the Small Meeting Room, Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London (opposite Euston Station). Full details on the Healthy Deaf Minds page

Interpreting in Tribunals Training - Manchester, 26/27/28 November 2009

Kings House Conference Centre, Sidney Street, Manchester, M1 7HB. A three-day training course for Registered, Qualified BSL/English Interpreters (and those about to qualify), Language Service Professionals and appropriately experienced relay/Deaf interpreters. Further details on the Training page

New specialist service for deaf children and young people

The new service, which is now up and running, will provide a specialist mental health treatment service for deaf and hearing-impaired children with a range of emotional and behavioural problems. It has four bases, at York, Dudley, London and Taunton, as well as six smaller outreach services. Clinical lead Dr Barry Wright explains: “The aim was to establish a presence in each of the strategic health authorities, and this arrangement does exactly that. It is a truly national service.”

The arrangement will bring equality of access, with children referred if they fulfil the following criteria: 1. They have a mental health condition where referral to a specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is appropriate (for example, a Children’s Global Assessment Scale Score of 50 or below) AND 2. If they have either a severe or profound hearing loss, or BSL as their preferred/first language, or a significant language impairment related to moderate to profound hearing loss. Where a hearing child has a parent who is a British Sign Language user, or has a severe or profound hearing loss, the service will also consider assessment.

Dr Wright adds: “The service, which is funded by the National Commissioning Group, does not replace children’s social services or existing health or education services. It is an additional support for those deaf children and young people with child mental health problems.” Some 90 per cent of deaf children are born into hearing families, and that can lead to communication problems. This lies at the root of many of the serious problems faced by some deaf children as they grow up. As well as direct referrals – which may number around 350 a year – the new service will also support professionals working with families.

Dr Wright says: “There are really two sides to the new service – support for families and help for professionals such as teachers, and health and social care professionals like psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists and social workers.” For accepted referrals the service can offer the following: Assessment of a child’s emotional and developmental needs; Therapeutic support that can be provided to individuals, families and groups; Deaf awareness for individuals and groups; Support and advice for the family; Group work for young people and for parents; Advice and consultation for teachers, care staff and other professionals working with deaf children.

The service delivery team will include psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists, social work practitioners, therapists and child and adolescent mental health workers. Dr Wright adds: “Research has shown that 40 to 50 per cent of deaf children in the country experience mental health problems, with four per cent developing severe mental illness. At the severe end of the spectrum are psychosis, depression, self-harm and autism spectrum disorder, any of which can cause a great deal of distress for the young person and his or her family. Now, for the first time, we have a national service to provide treatment and at the same time support health professionals working with deaf children with a range of mental health issues.”

A launch conference for the new service was held at the University of York on 6 October. Over 100 people from across the country attended and speakers included Arlene Stredler Brown from the University of Colorado. The conference, which was organised by the new service in conjunction with the British Society of Mental Health and Deafness, focused on intervention that would help the social and emotional development of children who are deaf.

Safe: Personal safety skills for deaf children

Produced by NSPCC. A group work programme on DVD-Rom designed to help give deaf children the knowledge, awareness and language they need to stay safe and make better informed life choices.Safe helps you to strengthen the self-confidence and self-esteem of deaf children, enabling them to seek help and advice when they need it. Comprising a DVD-Rom and practice guide, Safe includes sessions on important issues deaf children need to know about. Topics include: feelings, relationships' differences, bullying' growing up (including sex education); safety indoors, outdoors and on the road; internet and mobile phone safety. Young deaf presenters present each of the topics on the DVD-Rom and there are role plays (short films), storyboards, animations, a glossary of British Sign Language (BSL) terms and other learning resources to help you. To order a copy of the DVD or for further details go to www.nspcc.org.uk/safe