1. Consulting with deaf children and young people
Nicola Ward
Regional Director, London

2. Aims How do we consult with deaf young people?
Why consult with deaf children and young people
Ideas for engaging deaf children and young people in consultation activities and decision making.
Practical tools and resources
Case studies
To find out what deaf children and young people think about consultation

3. Participation
“The purpose of participation is to ensure better outcomes for children themselves and also for the organisation and the wider community.
Effective participation is likely to mean that the
involvement of children actually leads to change (where they identify that change is needed)”
(Kirby et al, 2003)

4. How do we consult with young people?
The Buzz website
YAB – Young People’s Advisory Board
Review resources and information
Share their ideas and experiences
Involvement in consultations
Political Party Conference
Young Campaigners
Involve young people in staff recruitment
Supporting external organisations

5. What does it look like? Training young people Consultations Evaluation
Sharing views
Surveys
Focus groups
Voting

6. Consultation
“formally seeking the views of children and young people to meaningfully influence decision making”

7. Three things to remember
WHY it’s important?
HOW will it take place?
WHAT resources and support are available?

8. WHY consult?
Deaf children and young people are much more likely to suffer from social isolation than their hearing peers
Historical data, cited in government research, suggested that over 40% of deaf children experience mental health problems, compared to 25% of hearing children [NDCS Position Statement on Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health of Deaf Children and Young People].
Just 41.1% of deaf children achieved 5 GCSEs (including English and Maths) at grades A* to C in 2014, compared to 64.2% of children with no identified SEN

9. Benefits to deaf children and young people:
Improves decision making and communication skills
Increases:
knowledge and understanding of services available
Accessibility, relevance and quality of support and service
Self-esteem and self worth
Benefits to services and to wider society:
Improves knowledge and understanding of issues that affect deaf children and young people
Ensures policy, services and support is reflective and accurately meeting their needs
Increases the quality of service and support and user engagement

10. Deaf young people have a right to be involved in the
decisions that affect
their life, to voice
their opinions and
to be heard
(Article 12 UNCRC)

11. “I may not have speech, but I have a voice – I can give my opinions, I can even argue”
Quotation from a member of the NDCS youth advisory board

12. HOW? All stages involve deaf children and young people
Why they are being asked, how their views will be used, what happens next?
Work out the right approach
Ask questions to determine what’s best.
How many young people, level of detail needed, complexity of topic, time scale, resource available?
Face to face through focus groups or interviews or online with surveys or polls?
Make it accessible
Break information down; be clear, simple, visual.
Be relevant and interesting
Use young people’s experiences to understand the issues

13. Breaking down barriers to participation.
Lack of time to consult
Too far in the process to involve deaf children and young people
Lack of capacity, resource or skills
Tokenistic involvement

14. WHAT – resources!! Budget allocation NDCS resources and guidance
Other external resources

15. Some resources
We consult with young people to produce resources that are important to them and help services and professionals work with them in the best possible way for example:
Look Smile Chat and My Life My Health
Face to face consultations, events and online surveys and polls
Buzz website resources and info ndcsbuzz.org.uk resources

16. The Local Offer Consultations

17. The Ofsted and CQC SEND inspections

18. Video
Enjoy!