British Sign Language: national plan 2023 to 2029 - easy read

Children, young people and their families

Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is our commitment to give all children, young people, and their families the right support at the right time.

We want to make Scotland the best place to grow up in.

There must be a clear way for deaf and deafblind children to:

• have the right support to use BSL at each stage in their education
• be the best they can be at school

Parents who use BSL will be fully involved in their child’s education.

Our long-term goal

A deaf or deafblind child and their family will be offered the right information and support at the right time to use BSL.

We will have stronger partnerships between organisations to make sure it is easy for BSL users and deaf/deafblind children to get the support they need at all stages of their learning.

Actions

We will:

10. Build partnerships and good working relationships between NHS teams and BSL providers to make sure deaf and deafblind children and their families get the right support from early childhood.

11. Work with organisations across Scotland to have a network of BSL providers.

12. Work with staff from these groups to help them understand the importance of BSL provision on child and family wellbeing:

• midwifery
• health visiting
• family nurse partnership
• allied health professionals like:
  • physiotherapists who help people stay strong, active and mobile
  • and speech and language therapists who help people with conversations and difficulties with swallowing food and fluids
• audiology – support with hearing difficulties

13. Support NHS teams and BSL providers to make referral pathways so deaf and deafblind children can get the healthcare and language learning support they need.

A referral pathway is the way someone is linked with a service they need.

14. Included the needs of deaf and deafblind people in the information we gave to the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland in August 2023.

15. Continue to support education authorities who give and check services for pupils with additional support needs, including those who are deaf.

Families can get information from Enquire - the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning, online by calling: 0345 123 2303

16. Support ways for early years workers to learn BSL up to Level 6.

17. Support ways for teachers working with deaf and deafblind children and young people to learn BSL up to Level 10.

18. Work with the General Teaching Council Scotland to look at ways for BSL users to get Qualified Teacher Status.

19. Make education an important part of the work of the Implementation Advisory Group, to look at access to BSL and the teaching of BSL.

20. Develop and support ways for deaf and deafblind children, young people, and their families, to learn about the history and culture of BSL, especially in Scotland.

21. Make Scotland’s first National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.

This will make sure organisations work together to support all disabled young people to have a positive move to adult life.

The Scottish Government BSL Policy team will make sure the experiences of BSL users are included in the development of the strategy.