Social workers ‘overwhelmed’ by children with complex needs

Social care professionals are “overwhelmed by the complexity of needs” of some disabled children, according to a report published by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) today.

As a result, there is often a lack of adequate support for deaf children with additional complex needs, the study, conducted jointly with University of Manchester, said. Some practitioners treat deafness as a minor condition that can be addressed later in a child’s life, according to the report.

NDCS chief executive Susan Daniels said: “As the number of children with complex needs rises, due to increasing survival rates of children who are born prematurely or suffer a severe illness, it is becoming even more important for services to drastically improve how they support these families.

“We urge social care professionals to work with parents to address shortfalls so that deaf children receive the support and care they need.”

According to the report, an estimated 40% of the total population of deaf children have some kind of additional disability. NDCS estimates that 10% of deaf children, about 4,500, in the UK have additional complex needs.

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