One in five of the population has a hearing loss. This means that there are over one million people in Scotland who have a range of hearing loss from mild loss to profound deafness.

Deaf people are just as likely to experience the same range of social and emotional problems as the hearing population, and should be entitled to the same level of information, support and access to services. There is therefore a need for planners and providers of social work services to recognise the rights of deaf people and to ensure an equality of service provision.

SCoD recognises that there is at present no nationally agreed practice for the provision of social work services with deaf people (i.e. some authorities employ specialist staff within their own departments, while others have agency agreements with voluntary or other external organisations). SCoD believes that all standards, recommendations and proposals relating to the provision of such services to deaf people should apply equally to all authorities, agencies or organisations.

One of the problems facing deaf people is that of communicating with social work service personnel and in obtaining essential information concerning available services and facilities. SCoD is concerned about the problem faced by deaf people in making contact with and utilising social work services, and suggests that there is a need for research into this area in order to produce agreed national standards of provision.

In the meantime, the Scottish Council on Deafness recommends that the following stipulations should apply equally to all social work services (including Children and Family Services, Offender Services and Community Care Services, and relating to residential, day care, domiciliary care or any similar provision): -

1. Social work services should ensure the accessibility of services to deaf people by utilising both appropriately trained staff and suitable equipment (such as loop systems, telecommunication aids, visual aids, etc).
   
   
2. Staff with particular responsibility for working with deaf people should be trained to a minimum of CACDP level 2 in British Sign Language.
   
   
3. All social work service staff should receive Deaf and Deafblind Awareness training both in pre-service and in-service training on an ongoing basis.
   
   
4. All social work service staff should have an awareness of human and technical communication supports available to deaf people and should use these appropriately.
   
   
5. Social Work Service personnel should be fully aware of the Disability Discrimination Act, the Human Rights Act and other relevant legislation.
   
   
6. Each Social Work Department should have an identified manager who has a thorough understanding of deaf issues, and who has an assigned responsibility for ensuring that social work services are fully accessible to deaf people and that all legislation relevant to deaf people is being complied with.
   
   
7. Social Work Departments should make a full range of technical and environmental aids and equipment available to deaf people within their area.
   
   
8. Social Work Departments should play their part in the corporate responsibility for the provision and payment of personal communication supports for deaf people (e.g. sign language interpreters, deafblind guide communicators, lip speakers or note takers) to allow them full access to all services available.
   
   
9. Deaf people should have full and relevant involvement in the setting of social work service priorities and in the planning, provision and monitoring of such services.
   
   
10. Social work services should encourage the employment of deaf people to facilitate the provision of such services to deaf people.
    
    
11. All social work and social care training courses should contain an element of Deaf and Deafblind Awareness training, and such courses should be required to be accessible to deaf students with the appropriate qualifications.
    
    
12. Each Social Work Department should adhere to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Codes of Practice for both social workers and for employers, with particular reference to the need to respect diversity and different cultures and values, and to provide appropriate training and development opportunities.
    
    
13. All authorities, agencies or organisations providing services to or on behalf of deaf people should be aware of and operate within the ethos of the National Care Standards and Best Practice Standards.

Selected bibliography

1. Social Work Services

1.1 "Say it Again" Contemporary Social Work Practice with people who are deaf or hard of hearing (SSI Report for the DHSS, 1988)

1.2 "Sensing Progress" Social work Services for people with a sensory impairment (SWSI for the Scottish Office, 1998)

1.3 Darby, A and Taylor, G "The Practice of Social Work with Deaf People" (Open University Press, 1991)

1.4 "Scottish Best Practice Standards" (Multi-Agency Task Force, 2001)

1.5 Kyle, J and Wood, P "Social and Vocational Aspects of Acquired Hearing Loss" (University of Bristol, 1993)

1.6 The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (HMSO)

1.7 "Aiming for Excellence" Modernising Social Work Services in Scotland (Scottish Executive White Paper, 1999)
"National Care Standards" (various) (The National Care Standards)

2. Communication Issues

2.1 "Communication is Your Responsibility" (The Commission of Enquiry into Human Aids to Communication, 1992)

2.2 "Provision of Communication Support for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing People" (SASLI, 1997)

3. Associated Legislation

3.1 The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (HMSO)

3.2 The Human Rights Act 2000 (HMSO)

3.3 The Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 (HMSO) - presently under review

3.4 The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (HMSO)

3.5 The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (HMSO)

3.6 The Community Care Act 1996 (HMSO)

4. Deafness

4.1 Gregory, S and Hartley, G "Constructing Deafness" (Open University Press, 1991)

4.2 Taylor, G and Bishop, J " Being Deaf: the experience of Deafness" (Open University press, 1991)c