The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has published new guidance to help social workers better support people with hearing problems.
The Acquired Hearing Loss Practice Guidance, published today, includes suggestions for how social workers can help people suffering with hearing loss.
There is a checklist for actions social workers should follow when working with someone who presents with hearing loss, and how social workers should undertake assessments.
Gerry Nosowska, incoming chair of BASW and who worked on the guidance, said it gives “practical, empowering advice coming directly from lived experience and practice expertise”.
“It’s an inspiring example of how committed social workers have taken the initiative to offer support for social work that they are passionate about.”
BASW said there are approximately 11 million people in the UK affected by loss of hearing.
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I think it is disappointing that we are still using the word’ suffering’ in this context.
Deafness is a broad spectrum “condition” and many Deaf people who use sign language certainly do not feel like they are ‘suffering’. Indeed many people with hearing loss do not see themselves as “suffering”, depending on the level of hearing loss, when and how it happens and their emotional resilience to it.
Sometimes people who have similar levels of hearing loss cope / don’t cope in very different ways. I agree more social care workers (and carers) need to be more aware around communication needs, be aware of how to identify hearing loss and what to do about it.
Suffering is such an emotive word; would people still be writing articles in a social care article about people suffering with epilepsy etc. I remember last year (maybe 2 years ago) when a similar article was written about Deaf people and how to support Deaf people; with the article were some pictures of fingerspelling, however, the pictures were of American finger spelling and not British Sign Language finger spelling, so it was not researched well and culturally inappropriate; tokenistic reporting at its best.