Purpose

The Children's Hearing Services Working Group (CHSWG) is a locally based multidisciplinary and multi-agency group with parent representatives who share a vision and goals of achieving the best outcomes for deaf children, young people and the families who use their services.

The CHSWG has a key role in coordinating and integrating the development, commissioning, delivery, and assuring the quality of children’s hearing services.

Aims

Our aims are to:

  • ensure local delivery of good quality services that are integrated, effective, work collaboratively and focus upon the individual needs of the child or young person with hearing loss and their families
  • provide a forum for information sharing between all members
  • provide a forum through which parents can have a voice in the planning and review of services and ensure this is fed back to the wider parent group
  • develop individual services and modify policies to effect change
  • share and consider initiatives of local and national importance within the wider group
  • lobby and influence on behalf of member services requiring progress
  • provide advice, guidance and recommendations to commissioners and other decision makers with responsibility for planning and resourcing services at a strategic level
  • undertake appropriate audits ensure that the views of children, young people and their families who use hearing services are regularly and effectively captured and acted on

Meetings

Find details on our meetings:

  • The CHSWG will meet four times each year
  • Members unable to attend should be represented whenever possible
  • The Chair will be responsible for collating the agenda which will be circulated at least one week in advance of the meeting. Any departmental updates, apologies for absence and details of nominated representatives should be forwarded to the Chair prior to the meeting
  • Dates will be set at the beginning of each calendar year
  • The Chair of the CHSWG can be any member of the group and will be elected bi annually by group members.
  • Minute taking responsibility will be shared among the representatives and will rotate
  • Agenda items will reflect agreed group priorities and concerns; sub groups may be formed to take forward specific areas of work
  • Guests may be invited to meetings when their specialist knowledge is required or for information sharing or training purposes

Minutes and Annual Report

The CHSWG will produce minutes of meetings.

These will be agreed by the Chair and distributed to group members within one month. The minutes will also be available publicly on our website.

The CHSWG will review the achievements and effectiveness of the group annually to ensure it is meeting the vision and aims and produce an annual report

Membership

Representatives from the following groups will be invited to attend the CHSWG meetings:

  • Parents
  • Audiology and Community audiology
  • Sensory needs Service
  • Speech and Language therapy
  • Community paediatrics
  • Newborn Hearing Screening Programme
  • Health Visitors
  • Ear Nose and Throat
  • National Deaf Children’s Society
  • NHS Commissioners
  • Brighton & Hove and West Sussex Deaf Children’s Society

Reference documents for Brighton & Hove CHSWG Terms of Reference

  1. NDCS – CHSWG guidance November 2019
  2. Dept. for Education/ Dept. of Health
    • Special Educational Needs and Disability – Code of practice: 0-25 January 2015.  Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014. Updated 1 May 2015
  3. Dept of Health
    • Transforming Services for Children with Hearing  Difficulty and their Families. A Good Practice Guide August 2008
  4. NICE Guideline
    • Surgical management of otitis media with effusion in children. Issue date: February 2008
  5. NICE Guideline
    • Cochlear implants for children and adults with severe to profound deafness. NICE guidance TA166 and TA566 Jan 2009/March 2019
  6. DfES
    • Special Educational Needs Code of Practise. Date of Issue: June 2014
  7. The Bercow Report
    • A review of services for children and young people (0-19) with speech, language and communication needs
  8. Better Communication
    • An action plan to improve services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. Dept for children, schools and families Issued 2008
  9. Deaf Children: Positive Practice Standards in Social Services (February 2002)
    • ASSOCIATION OF DIRECTORS OF SOCIAL SERVICES
    • BRITISH DEAF ASSOCIATION
    • LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
    •  NATIONAL CHILDREN’S BUREAU
    • THE NATIONAL DEAF CHILDREN’S SOCIETY
    •  THE ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR DEAF PEOPLE
  10. The impact of integrated Children’s Services on the scope, delivery and quality of social care services for deaf children and families.
    • NDCS and the University of Manchester
    • Phase 1 report – June 2008.
    • Alys Young • Ros Hunt • Carole Smith
  11. Developing Early Intervention/Support Services for Deaf Children and their Families
    • DfES and RNID
    • Date of Issue: May 2003
  12. Quality standards and good practise guidelines: cochlear implants for children and young people – BCIG - 2018
  13. Quality standards and good practise guidelines: transition from child to adult service - NDCS 2011
  14. Quality standards in bone anchored hearing aids for children and young people - NDCS 2003
  15. Quality standards for the use of personal FM systems - NDCS 2017
  16. Vision care for deaf children and young people - NDCS 2004