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SCoD is 90 years old this year and we are planning a number of events to celebrate. In September, we are holding a parliamentary reception hosted by Mark Griffin MSP along with West of Scotland Deaf Children’s Society who are 70 this year. More information will follow to members.

Deaf Sector Partnership (DSP) The DSP had its end of year review last week. We discussed progress made and started to look at what needs to be done for the next funding period 2018/2020. Once plans are finalised we will share them with our members.

Queen’s Birthday Honours We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mary McNulty, Head Teacher of St. Roch’s Primary and Hearing Impaired School on her MBE; and Elaine McHaffie, a volunteer with North East Sensory Service (NESS) Aberdeen Branch on her BEM. We would also like to congratulate Mary Scanlon, Richard Simpson, Alasdair Hay and Rose Fitzpatrick on their honours.

SCoD Bulletin July 2017

We cannot use information in posters, PDFs, or publisher in the bulletin.

*Please note: at the end of this bulletin is a template. If you want information

included in future bulletins, please copy and use this template. If information is not

sent to us in the template, we will not include it.

Thank you.

Scottish Council on Deafness Bulletin | Bi-Monthly Magazine for SCoD Members

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Membership As we plan our 90th Birthday celebrations, we would like to invite you to join SCoD if you are

not already a member; or you might have associate organisation membership and want to

think about taking out full membership. We have a number of opportunities and options for

membership depending on what level of support or participation you or your organisation

want to have with us.

We have three categories of membership:

Full members. These are the organisations that make up the National Council and

can put forward nominations to the SCoD Board.

Associate members - organisations. These are organisations who cannot be full

members or do not want the responsibility of full membership.

Associate members - individuals. These are individuals, people who are deaf or have

an interest in deafness and want to support our organisation.

We also want to recruit new members to support our work.

On BSL language development

Communication barriers and solutions

General awareness

If you want to know more about joining SCoD and being part of the Deaf Sector, please

contact us on admin@scod.org.uk or telephone 0141 248 2474.

If you are a BSL user, you can use contactSCOTLAND-BSL to contact us.

SCoD’s “Connect & Collaborate” Conference 2018

We are working on our next conference which will take place on 8 March 2018. The theme

will be “Connect and Collaborate” and will be around the topic “Integration, Inclusion

and Wellbeing”. We have a number of workshops organised and we would like to say

thanks to those members who have offered sponsorship. If you would like to be involved in

the conference please contact claire@scod.org.uk

Disclosure: Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG)

mailto:admin@scod.org.ukhttp://contactscotland-bsl.org/mailto:claire@scod.org.uk

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SCoD is registered as a Countersignatory body with Disclosure Scotland. If you have staff who will be working with children and/or vulnerable adults they will need to be a member of the PVG Scheme. If you are not able to sign the forms yourself why not get SCoD to do it for you!

For more information about booking an appointment or general information, please visit our website: http://www.scod.org.uk/disclosure-for-working-with-protected-groups/

Best wishes

Janis & the SCoD Team

GENERAL NEWS

Technology and Innovation in the NHS - Call for Views

The Committee have issued a general call for views on Wednesday 31 May.

The Committee is seeking views on the Scottish Government’s approach to eHealth. We want to hear about the successes and failures of existing telecare and telehealth strategies and the opportunities future developments might present. The committee will also explore barriers to innovation in the NHS.

The call for evidence also asks whether the Scottish Government’s draft vision on digital health and social care adequately addresses the future requirements of the NHS and social care sector in Scotland. Will it empower and enable innovation and the transformations that will be needed to keep pace with technological developments?

The Committee are keen to hear responses to the following questions:

What do you consider have been the main successes of the existing Scottish Government’s eHealth and telecare/telehealth strategies and why?

What do you consider have been the main failures of the existing Scottish Government’s eHealth and telecare/telehealth strategies and why?

How well does the Scottish Government’s draft Digital Health and Social Care Vision 2017-2022 address the future requirements of the NHS and social care sector?

Do you think there are any significant omissions in the Scottish Government’s draft Digital Health and Social Care vision 2017-2022?

What key opportunities exist for the use of technology in health and social care over the next 10 years?

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What actions are needed to improve the accessibility and sharing of the electronic patient record?

What are the barriers to innovation in health and social care?

How to submit written evidence

Before making a submission, please read our policy on treatment of written evidence. In line with that policy, submissions will normally be published on our website. We recognise that in some circumstances people may prefer for their evidence to be treated as confidential or published anonymously. If you wish to do this, please make this clear when submitting your evidence.

Written submissions should be reasonably brief and typewritten in Word format (preferably no more than 4-6 sides of A4 in total).

The deadline for receipt of written submissions is Wednesday 12 July 2017.Owing to the timescales normally required for the processing and analysis of evidence, late submissions will only be accepted with the advance agreement of the clerk.

The Committee prefers to receive submissions electronically. These should be sent to: healthandsport@parliament.scot .

You may also send a hard copy of written submissions to: Health and Sport Committee Scottish Parliament Holyrood Edinburgh EH99 1SP

A new social security assessment process for Scotland: the

views of seldom heard people

The ALLIANCE has published the final report from the consultation with seldom heard

people in Scotland about a new social security assessment process: http://www.alliance-

scotland.org.uk/download/library/lib_5940f03778baa/.

The ALLIANCE consulted with seldom heard people around Scotland. 238 people took part

in the online survey and 97 people participated in 14 focus groups.

_________________________________________________________________________

Health and Social Care Standards

mailto:healthandsport@parliament.scothttp://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/download/library/lib_5940f03778baa/http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/download/library/lib_5940f03778baa/

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You can access to new standards here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/1327

The Commission on Parliamentary Reform The Commission on Parliamentary Reform published its “Report on the Scottish Parliament” on Tuesday 20 June 2017. The report contains 75 recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the Parliament. The full report is available in English. The summary is available in Gaelic and BSL. An Easy Read version of the summary will be available shortly. https://parliamentaryreform.scot/

______________________________________________________________ Deaf Action CEO Deaf Action is pleased to announce Philip Gerrard as our new Chief Executive. BSL video link: https://vimeo.com/223110752 Philip is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Deaf Direct, which works with deaf and hard of hearing people in Herefordshire, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire, and has been there for 18 years. He co-founded UK Deaf Sport in 2003 and chaired the organisation until last year. Philip will be starting in September.

Film clip by Rosie Addis: https://vimeo.com/223110752 If you would like to know more about Philip, here’s a brief profile about Philip: http://www.deafdirect.org.uk/team/philip-gerrard/ https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philip-gerrard-2a957757

______________________________________________________________ Scottish Older People’s Assembly Here is a link to Scottish Older People's Assembly - June Newsletter: http://www.scotopa.org.uk/2017newsletters.asp

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/1327https://parliamentaryreform.scot/https://vimeo.com/223110752https://vimeo.com/223110752http://www.deafdirect.org.uk/team/philip-gerrard/https://uk.linkedin.com/in/philip-gerrard-2a957757http://www.scotopa.org.uk/2017newsletters.asp

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Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill The Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill was presented to parliament on Monday 19 June 2017 and published on Tuesday 20 June. You can read the Bill and accompanying documents, along with relevant impact assessments of the Bill here: www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/information-sharing/cyp-information-sharing-bill-2017 This also includes:

an illustrative draft of Parts 4 and 5 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (“the 2014 Act”), applying the proposed changes, and

an illustrative draft Code of Practice in relation to information sharing under Parts 4 and 5, the final version of which will be mandatory when these Parts of the Act are commenced.

What does the Bill do? The Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill will introduce a duty on public bodies and other organisations with duties under Parts 4 and 5 of the 2014 Act to consider if the sharing of information will promote, support or safeguard the wellbeing of a child or young person. It will also ensure that the sharing is compatible with current law and further introduce a Code of Practice that will provide additional safeguards in relation to information sharing under these parts of the 2014 Act. The Bill specifically makes changes to the information sharing provisions in Part 4 of the 2014 Act in response to the Supreme Court’s finding and takes account of the outcome of the intensive engagement with stakeholders which took place in 2016. The Bill also makes changes to Part 5 of the 2014 Act in order to keep the information sharing provisions of Parts 4 and 5 in alignment. Why is this Bill important?

The aim of the Bill is to bring consistency, clarity and coherence to the practice of sharing information about children’s and young people’s wellbeing across Scotland. It will ensure that the rights of children, young people and parents are respected when information is shared under Part 4 (Provision of Named Persons) and Part 5 (Child’s Plan). As the Deputy First Minister indicated in his statement to parliament on 7 March, improving the lives of all our children, young people and their families is something that members of the Scottish Parliament have been working together to achieve for many years. Getting it right for every child has been the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of our children and young people since 2006, and is already well established in many areas.

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/information-sharing/cyp-information-sharing-bill-2017http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/information-sharing/cyp-information-sharing-bill-2017

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The Scottish Government remains fully committed to Getting it right for every child and will work with others to strengthen the approach and build public confidence as we move forward with the legislative process. We continue to engage with the full range of interested stakeholders to ensure that every opportunity is taken to improve the quality of service that children, young people and families experience from public services across Scotland. We look forward to working with you to achieve this shared ambition. Next steps

The Bill process will be followed by a formal public consultation on the revised statutory guidance for Parts 4 and 5 of the 2014 Act and the Code of Practice on information sharing. The Scottish Government will work with Parliament to agree a timetable to enable commencement in 2018. If you have any questions about the Bill or accompanying documents, please contact the Bill mailbox: cyp.information.sharing.bill@gov.scot

Consultation on the Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice (third edition) and associated regulations Please see a link to the consultation on the Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice (third edition) and associated regulations, https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/supporting-learners/code-of-practice Please feel free to circulate the link to any colleagues you think may be interested in this. The consultation will seek views from those who are involved in supporting children and young people with additional support needs and closes on 14 August 2017. Please see brief background on the consultation below:

Consultation on The Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice (third edition) and associated regulations The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 provides the legal framework for identifying and addressing the additional support needs of children and young people who face a barrier, or barriers, to learning. The Act aims to ensure that all children and young people are provided with the necessary support to help them work towards achieving their full potential. It also promotes collaborative working among all those supporting children and young people and sets out the rights of children, young people and parents within the system. The Act has been amended by the Education (Scotland) Act 2016. This extension provides that children will have the same rights as young people and parents under the Additional Support for Learning legislation, except in relation to placing requests and the use of mediation services. It is intended that these amendments to the Act will commence in November 2017.

mailto:cyp.information.sharing.bill@gov.scothttps://consult.scotland.gov.uk/supporting-learners/code-of-practicehttps://consult.scotland.gov.uk/supporting-learners/code-of-practice

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In preparation for this, there is a need to update associated Regulations and statutory guidance. This consultation seeks views in relation to 4 things (the code of practice and 3 sets of regulations):

The Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice (third edition) 2017 - the statutory guidance for the Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act.

The Additional Support for Learning Dispute Resolution (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2017

The Section 70 (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2017

The Additional Support for Learning (Collection of Data) (Scotland) Regulations 2017. _________________________________________________________________________

Consequences of distributing personal pictures or film A new law will make it easier to prosecute people who share intimate images without consent. From 3 July 2017, those convicted of the new offence of ‘disclosing, or threatening to disclose, an intimate photograph or film’ could face up to five years imprisonment under the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016. A hard-hitting public awareness campaign will drive home the serious consequences of sharing intimate images or films of a current or former partner without their permission. For more information, go to http://notyourstoshare.scot/campaign. _________________________________________________________________________

SATA Achievement Awards 2017 1. Purpose of Awards

SATA Achievement Awards will recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals or organisations in promoting and delivering SATA's aim and in providing transport and transport-related services and facilities for disabled people.

Recognition will be for life-time or similar work or particular projects. 2. Recipients

Awards will be given to an individual or organisation.

They will be given to either SATA members or non-members working in a paid or unpaid capacity in any sector, voluntary, public or private.

Generally nobody should be the recipient of more than one award. 3. Frequency and occasion

Awards will be made annually or at such intervals as decided by the Management Committee.

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This year they will be presented at the SATA AGM on 20th September.

Endeavours will be made to invite a high profile person to make the presentations. 4. Nature and number of Awards

Awards will not carry financial reward but will be in the form of a framed citation or certificate.

The maximum number of awards will not exceed one or at most two Awards each year.

5. Publicity

Nominations for the Award will be invited through the SATA membership and by other means.

The Award ceremony and the result to be publicised as widely as possible.

The successful nominee will be profiled.

The press will be invited to the Award ceremony. 6. Records

A full and confidential record of nominations and awards will be kept by the Secretariat.

7. Nominations

Nominations will be invited from SATA members and non-members and must be submitted by 28th July 2017.

They must be made on a signed nomination form with details of the person or group nominated and reasons why an Award should be made.

They must be kept confidential. 8. Questions to be asked The following are questions to be asked and answered when making nominations and selections for Awards:

Is it for an individual, a group or organisation?

Is he/she/it a member of SATA? (Though not a condition for an award)

How is the achievement related to SATA's aims and objectives?

Is it for work over a period of time or for a particular project?

Is it supported by good and well-documented evidence?

How have disabled people benefited and can this be verified?

Does the achievement have, or is it likely to have, lasting value?

To your knowledge, has the recipient previously received other similar awards of any kind?”

What makes this person, group or organisation particularly outstanding? 9. Judging

Short-listing and decisions on who will received Awards will be made by a panel of three people appointed by the SATA Management Committee

The panel can get further information on the nominations as required

The panel will inform the Management Committee of their decisions and the Committee will formally endorse them or otherwise.

Nominations and reasons for decisions to make or not to make an Award must be

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kept strictly confidential.

For more information contact Mike Harrison at mike@mahprojects.co.uk or call 0131 448 0930.

Regulations have been laid today in Parliament by the Scottish Government, relating to the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. Prior to full commencement of the Act and a ‘go live’ date for the Lobbying Register next year, a number of practicalities are required to be taken forward. These Regulations are for that purpose. They will allow the Parliament, following its summer recess, to pave the way for:

the publication of guidance on the operation of the Act;

the publication of a Code of Conduct for persons lobbying Members of the Parliament;

for the Parliament to be able to bring forward certain resolutions and directions, as required, in advance of the Act’s full commencement next year.

the Parliament promoting public awareness and understanding of the Act. The Regulations are available to view here – The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 (Commencement No1) Regulations 2017

Voluntary Action Fund (VAF) is delighted to announce the launch of its Volunteering Support Fund 2017-18.

Small to medium-sized third sector organisations working Scotland, with an annual income of under £250,000 can apply for grants of between £7,500 and £10,000 through the Volunteering Support Fund. Organisations can apply for the costs of recruiting additional volunteers (both delivery volunteers and voluntary board members) and should demonstrate that they aim to recruit at least an additional 10 volunteers, including 6 who experience disadvantage. Other costs should contribute towards how volunteers are supported, e.g. increased staff hours, volunteers’ expenses, volunteer training, establishing robust volunteering policies and procedures, volunteer planning/evaluation days or thank-you events, or uniforms or equipment.

Applications should be submitted by 5pm on Fri 14 July 2017.

Visit our website for further information about the fund and how to apply: https://goo.gl/5TImny.

mailto:mike@mahprojects.co.ukhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2017/201/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2017/201/contents/madehttps://goo.gl/5TImny

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For more information contact the Volunteering Support Fund Team at Voluntary Action Fund at VSFenquiries@vaf.org.uk or call 01383620780.

EVENTS

Malvina’s Garden for Forth Valley Sensory Centre

The Forth Valley Sensory Centre, based in Camelon, Falkirk, is delighted to announce that for the second year running one of the area’s best private gardens will be opened up for just one day, Sunday 6th August, to help raise money for lip reading classes. Rare chance to visit award winning garden The garden is owned by Malvina Dwyer and has been featured in books and on TV. It has won numerous awards and remains the envy of many professional gardener. Once each year, Malvina puts on a spread, with tea coffee and delicious home baking and invites the public into the three quarter acre garden which consists of terracing, formal and informal grounds as well as woodlands and even wildflowers. Paths in the garden are good but those with limited mobility are warned that there are some steep sections in the garden due to the nature of the surrounding geography. The cost is £3 for adults and £2 for concessions. The garden, located at Quarrybank Cottage, Falkirk Road, Avonbridge, FK1 2NA is open 1pm – 5pm to find out more about the Centre and for contact information visit www.forthvalleysensorycentre.org or @FVSensoryCentre on Facebook and Twitter. Textphone: 07341 560 709 or call 01324 590 888

Quality Assurance of Assessment Arrangements for Deaf (oral) and Visually Impaired Candidates: Tuesday, 12th September, 2017

This half day event will be of relevance to Teachers of the Deaf, Visual Impairment Teachers, Support for Learning Teachers, College Lecturers supporting students who are deaf (oral) or who have a visual impairment, and other practitioners supporting candidates in SQA Assessments and Exams.

In partnership with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), this event aims to provide the opportunity to discuss a range of assessment and exam issues relating to candidates who are deaf (oral) or who have a visual impairment. The aims of the event will be to:

• clarify the key principles underpinning the SQA policy in relation to assessment arrangements for candidates;

mailto:VSFenquiries@vaf.org.ukhttp://www.forthvalleysensorycentre.org/

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• outline SQA and Centre Quality Assurance responsibilities arising from key principles;

• consider SQA’s Quality Assurance evidence requirements;

• provide opportunity for you to raise and discuss assessment issues for candidates.

There will be opportunities to ask/write down questions on the day if there are any specific issues/questions you would like to raise.

Presenters: Patricia McDonald, Research and Policy Manager, SQA

Teas and coffees will be provided

Course fee: FREE Although the course is free, an application must be completed and sent in to the SSC to secure your place. Applications are available to download from the following link: http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/courses/general/gsep17.html

____________________________________________________________ Colourful Semantics and Strategies to help a deaf child at school: Wednesday 30th August 2017 This course will be of interest to teachers of the deaf, mainstream teachers, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, support staff, and parents. To secure your place please book before the end of June. What is Colourful Semantics? Alison Bryan (creator of Colourful Semantics) will go through the programme to enable you to deliver the intervention in school. Colourful Semantics is the ‘meaning of the words’ and this is made colourful by breaking down and colour coding different parts of a sentence. Colourful Semantics is a speech and language therapy intervention that indirectly works on developing a child’s grammar through the use of:

• Spoken sentences • Answering W/H questions • Use of nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives • Story telling skills • Written sentences and language comprehension.

You will be able to work through the programme to encourage the child to create sentences. This is initially taught by focusing on sorting out colours, which will then progress to an understanding that there are different parts that make up a sentence. The 4 key levels are:

http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/courses/general/gsep17.html

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Level 1 – Who? The Dog. Subject -( ORANGE)

Level 2 – What doing? Is playing with. Verb – (Yellow)

Level 3 – What? The Ball. Object (Green)

Level 4 – Where? In the Garden. Location (Blue)

Presenter: Alison Bryan, Independent Speech & Language Therapist. Course fee: £110 Further information and an application form to download are available via the following link: http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/courses/deaf/daug17.html

SSC Course 5: The Challenges of Working with Deaf Children: mental health, autism, challenging behaviour & language deprivation: Monday, 13th November 2017 This course will be of interest to Teachers of the deaf, mainstream teachers, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, support staff and parents/carers. Dr Sally Austen is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has being supporting deaf pupils and adults for over 20 years. From her experience she will discuss the challenges faced by deaf pupils who have autism, challenging behaviour and mental health difficulties. In each of these areas any links with language deprivation or communication difficulty will be explored. The key focus of the day will be to identify the skills that professionals already have, that can be used in different ways or at different times to meet the needs of this complex client group. Acknowledging the paucity of research in our field of work, Sally Austen will encourage a balance between evidence based information (research) and practical experience. She will encourage attenders to consider these areas of difficulty from cognitive, social, educational and psychological viewpoints – and consider the necessity for multi-professional collaboration. For the well-being of the child, the professional and the parent a better understanding of the child’s potential is recommended. This will include discussion of what success would look like. Executive Functioning and parental trauma reactions are relatively new areas of research. Sally will suggest how evolving clinical and educational work in these areas may prove useful. Presenter: Dr Sally Austen, Consultant Clinical Psychologist BA (HONS), MSC, C.PSYCHOL, AfBPsS www.austenpsychology.co.uk

http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/courses/deaf/daug17.htmlhttp://www.austenpsychology.co.uk/

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Course fee: £110 Applications are available to download from the following lib: http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/courses/deaf/dnov17.html

British Academy of Audiology 14th Annual Conference 16th & 17th November 2017, Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) Organised by the British Academy of Audiology, we are delighted to announce that the 14 th annual conference and exhibition will take place on the 16th and 17th November 2017 at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC). Attracting over 600 delegates and 50 exhibitors along with an array of international speakers, BAA conference is the largest audiology conference in the UK. Registration is now open! For more information visit: www.baaudiology.org/conference

The Programme:

Delegates can expect to receive the latest in audiology research, education and expertise, with inspiring speakers and informative sessions. New to this year’s conference will be the back to basic tutorials which will cover a range of topics such as hearing aid features, counselling skills, testing children, ear moulds, and tinnitus. The programme will also feature efficiency tracks which particular focus on service improvements to include future-proofing the workforce. Due to the resounding success of the 'All You Need to Know' series, we will be running these sessions again to provide you with practical advice and access to online resources.

Conference Highlights include:

The latest in Audiology research, education and expertise, with inspiring speakers and informative sessions

Bamford lecture to be presented by Gwen Carr

The Adrian Davies lecture will be presented by Dave Fabry

Series of 'All You Need to Know' sessions providing practical advice for clinics with online resources

Efficiency tracks focusing on service improvements to include future-proofing the workforce, disruptive technologies, implantable devices, and much more

New for 2017, back to basics tutorials covering a range of topics such as hearing aid features, counselling skills, testing children, ear moulds, and tinnitus

http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/courses/deaf/dnov17.htmlhttp://www.baaudiology.org/conference

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Awards programme to acknowledge individuals and teams who have excelled in the Audiology profession

The UK’s largest Audiology exhibition

Exciting social event and networking opportunities

To view the programme visit: www.baaudiology.org/conference

Abstracts:

Free paper and poster presentations form an integral part of the conference and are a fantastic way for those working within the audiology field to share best practice, research and network with colleagues. Successful submissions will have their research displayed at conference or may be asked to present orally to audiologists from the UK and beyond. Submitting an abstract is an easy online process and we ask that all submissions are made before the closing date on Monday 24th July 2017. REGISTER NOW at www.baaudiology.org/conference Early bird price valid until 2nd October 2017 For further information email events@baaudiology.org or phone 01506 292 035 Follow @BAAudiology and use #BAAConf Like us on Facebook

National Deaf Children’s Society Get Creative Day

14 October 2017 Taking place at Motherwell, Scotland 8-15 years A fun filled day of music for deaf young people! This event is suitable for young people with all levels of deafness from mild to profound. The closing date for applications is 6 August 2017.

For more information, please contact Siobhan at Siobhan.Murray@ndcs.org.uk or call NDCS at 0141 354 7850

National Deaf Children’s Society Winter Weekend 9-11 February 2018 Taking place: Nethybridge, Scotland 8-15 years

http://www.baaudiology.org/conferencehttp://www.baaudiology.org/conferencemailto:events@baaudiology.orghttps://twitter.com/BAAudiologyhttps://www.facebook.com/baaudiologymailto:Siobhan.Murray@ndcs.org.uk

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An exciting weekend packed with activities including skiing and swimming. The closing date for applications is 1 December 2017

Deaf Action Stories and Stones - Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders: Summer 2017 Only a couple of weeks until the summer holidays – which means only a couple of weeks away until the nature/heritage summer workshops begin! These sessions will run across Edinburgh and Lothians every Wednesday for 6 weeks during the summer holidays. There will also be two sessions in the Borders on Thursday 13th July and Thursday 3rd August. Each runs between 11am and 4pm. Please see attached programme for dates and locations Open for young people and families affected by deafness. Suitable for all ages and abilities. BSL interpreted. Completely free (just bring your own packed lunch and suitable clothing) Interested? Want to help out? Get in touch if you want to volunteer with Alex Furneaux at alexfurneaux@deafaction.org

BSL TOUR EVENT: Women of the GORBALS History Walk What: WOMEN OF THE GORBALS HISTORY WALK

Why: Do you want to learn what life was like in Gorbals in the 1800s? BSL/English interpreters will be provided.

When: Saturday 5th August 2017

Time: 2pm-4pm.

Where: Cultha Vaults (Pub), G1 5HZ

See the link below for the BSL version: https://www.facebook.com/BritishDeafAssociation/videos/1527659787296337/

For more information or to book a ticket, please contact Helen at hco.scot@bda.org.uk

mailto:alexfurneaux@deafaction.orghttps://www.facebook.com/BritishDeafAssociation/videos/1527659787296337/mailto:hco.scot@bda.org.ukhttp://www.bda.org.uk/

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TRAINING Scottish Council on Deafness Training Programme We are in the process of putting together a training programme to run later in the summer and then again over the autumn. More information will be available shortly and the full programme will be available on our website. In the meantime, AWARENESSbites on-line Deaf Awareness course is available on our website. http://www.scod.org.uk/scod-training/awarenessbites/ We have teamed up with AWARENESSbites to provide quality online learning and development to front-line and public facing staff who may not be able to attend face-to-face training courses. We are offering two packages: Green package – £15 per user – aimed at those who require to know the basics and may come across a deaf or deafblind person occasionally. This package can easily be completed in under 2 hours. Purple package – £28 per user – aimed at those who would require a little more detail and understanding and meet deaf or deafblind people more frequently within their day to day service provision. This package can take between 2.5 – 3.5 hours depending on activities taken. If you would like to purchase packages, please contact us directly. We would consider an organisational discount that offers value for money for large numbers of users. _______________________________________________________________________

Glasgow Centre for Independent Living

Are you mainstreaming equality in your operational services? Would you

benefit from training?

We are happy to take this opportunity to provide you with more information about our range of innovative training covering key issues that include important equality themes. We will be distributing our new brochure later in the year that details the wide range of training courses we deliver, but getting in touch now allows us to provide you with examples of our courses that cover general and specific issues. All our courses can be delivered in-house and tailored to the needs of each individual organisation and the practical needs of staff and service users. Course examples:

http://www.scod.org.uk/scod-training/awarenessbites/http://www.scod.org.uk/scod-training/awarenessbites/

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Equality courses Equality law and good practice: developing awareness

Developing effective impact assessments for the public and voluntary sectors

Gathering equality data and asking the right questions

Reporting and monitoring of equality issues (for Board and/or committee members)

Mainstreaming equality issues throughout the recruitment and selection process

Appropriate language and promoting respect for others – while dismantling the

political correctness agenda

Disability etiquette

General courses

Developing data protection policies and effective action plans, including equality

themes

Writing to promote accessible information: reports and policies

Customer care and equality issues

Recruitment and Selection: how to incorporate equality themes

Please get in touch with us if any of these courses might be of interest and we will be pleased to provide more information. Call us on 0141 375 0464 or email: equalityacademy@gcil.org.uk. Course outlines for training scheduled to October 2017 can be found on our website. _________________________________________________________________________

CINEMA/THEATRE

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mailto:equalityacademy@gcil.org.ukhttp://www.gcil.org.uk/%2fequality-academy%2fdevelopment-and-learning-programmes.aspxhttp://glasgowfilm.org/shows/visible-cinema-britain-on-film-black-britain-12ahttp://glasgowfilm.org/shows/visible-cinema-britain-on-film-black-britain-12ahttp://glasgowfilm.org/shows/visible-cinema-britain-on-film-black-britain-12ahttp://glasgowfilm.org/shows/visible-cinema-britain-on-film-black-britain-12ahttp://glasgowfilm.org/shows/visible-cinema-britain-on-film-black-britain-12a

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Transformers The Last Knight, Hampstead, The Mummy, Wonder Woman, Churchill, Pirates of the Caribbean Salazar's Revenge, Baywatch, My Cousin Rachel, Gifted, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid The Long Haul & more! http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/films.html All cinemas can show all the films listed above with English-language subtitles. Please ask your nearest cinemas to provide accessible shows for people with hearing loss! Shows added as announced. Check the website or app regularly for full subtitled listings: Locations, dates, times & trailers. IMPORTANT! Shows sometimes change. Double check with the ACTUAL cinema or cinemas website before you plan a visit.

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS, MOTIONS AND DEBATES

Adult Psychological Therapies (Waiting Times)

S5O-01142 Dean Lockhart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish

Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for adults referred for

psychological therapies.

The Minister for Mental Health (Maureen Watt):

We have put in place a £54 million comprehensive package of support to improve access to

mental health services for adults and children, which will provide funding for additional staff,

for workforce development and for in-depth improvement support to local services. In this

first year, £4.3 million has been awarded to boards across Scotland to build capacity within

mental health services. Further funding has been awarded through NHS Education for

Scotland to provide each board with an individual tailored offer of funding and workforce

development.

As part of a comprehensive package of support for boards, £4.6 million was announced for

Healthcare Improvement Scotland to establish a mental health access improvement support

team, which is working in partnership with boards to improve access to mental health

services.

Dean Lockhart:

I am glad that the hard work of staff in NHS Forth Valley has resulted in improvement in

child and adolescent mental health services in recent months. However, waiting times

continue to be a problem for adults who are referred for psychological therapies in NHS

http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/films.html

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Forth Valley. According to the most recent figures from the Information Services Division,

only 40 per cent of adult patients who were waiting for psychological treatment were seen

within the Scottish Government’s target timeframe of 18 weeks, which left nearly 500 people

waiting too long for support. Does the minister agree that NHS Forth Valley needs more

support to address those concerns?

Maureen Watt:

I am glad that Dean Lockhart has acknowledged the great improvements in waiting times for

access to CAMHS in NHS Forth Valley—the rate has gone up from 57.1 per cent in 2015 to

99.7 per cent in 2017. That shows the value of the improvement team’s work with the board.

The member should be aware that the initial focus was on CAMHS; the team and boards

will share the lessons that they have learned in CAMHS in order to improve delivery of

psychological services to adults.

As a result of the higher profile of mental health, the number of people who come forward

for psychological therapies in Forth Valley has almost doubled. That is why it is important

that we increase the number of lower-intensity interventions for people who want

psychological therapies.

Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Lab):

The minister will know that there tends to be a sharp drop-off in referrals for psychological

therapies among adults over 65. As part of the £54 million package of support that she

mentioned, what work is the Government doing to reduce that inequality and ensure that

adults throughout Scotland have the same access to psychological therapies, regardless of

their age?

Maureen Watt:

Monica Lennon is right to say that people should have access to services regardless of their

age. I am well aware of the work that is going on in that regard through the age in mind

initiative. The mental health strategy emphasises the approach “Ask once, get help fast”,

which applies as much to people over 65 as it does to anyone else.

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11021

Island Games (Support for Athletes)

S5M-06006 Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)

Motion debated,

That the Parliament welcomes the NatWest Island Games taking place in Gotland, Sweden;

recognises the contributions and efforts of athletes from the Western Isles, Orkney and

Shetland to the Island Games; notes that, in addition to Shetland, Orkney and the Western

Isles, 21 further island groups are participating, featuring more than 4,000 athletes across

14 different sports; further notes that athletes from Shetland will be participating in each of

the 14 sports; is concerned that the cost of travel for training and competing is often

disproportionately higher for Shetland athletes than those from other parts of Scotland, and

often prohibitively so; recalls the assurances given by the Scottish Government in

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11021

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September 2016 that it would give consideration to the creation of an islands transport fund

for athletes; notes the view that such a fund would further the careers of individuals and

teams that are successful in being chosen for Scottish representative sport; believes that

this biannual event brings together athletes, families and supporters from across the globe

and is a wonderful meeting of friends, bringing out all that is good in sport, and wishes all

competitors the best of luck in their pursuit of medals in Gotland.

Tavish Scott:

There is nothing quite like a relay race. The 4 x 100m women’s final at the NatWest games

in Jersey was breathtaking. As the baton reached Shetland’s Sophie Moar, the team was

fighting for a medal. Sophie turned on the afterburners, screamed down the home straight

and brought the gold home for team Shetland. The convener of Shetland Islands Council

and I lost our voices during the last 11 seconds of that race. Shetland went home from the

Jersey games, which were two years ago, with 23 medals, which was our second-best haul

at an island games.

The games are an athletic and sporting occasion that brings together 4,000 athletes from 24

islands that are as far apart as the Falklands and the Faroes. This Saturday, the next

biannual games will begin in the beautiful surroundings of Gotland. It will be my honour to

support Shetland there, just as Liam McArthur will support Orkney. A bit like with Liverpool v

Everton or Caley v Ross County, as long as we beat Orkney—to say nothing of the Western

Isles—everything else is a bonus.

The sporting rivalry is in the best traditions of personal and team commitment, dedication

and belief—that is the island games. There is camaraderie among the athletes from around

the globe who are brought together for a week.

Shetland is sending to Gotland 130 ambassadors who will cover 11 sports. Thirty-seven of

them are in full-time education and 23 are under 18. They are sportsmen and sportswomen,

but they are so much more than that—they are representing their islands.

The island games have become about much more than just sport since the first gathering in

the Isle of Man in 1985. Two years ago in Jersey, I met political colleagues from islands

around the world, including those from self-governing legislatures, Crown dependencies and

sub-states of national states. At a meeting with the Jersey First Minister, he described to me

his relationship with Whitehall. At the same meeting, the convener of Shetland Islands

Council noted the similarities and differences between that relationship and Lerwick’s

relationship to St Andrew’s house. To make one minor political observation, there are no

responsibilities that places such as the Isle of Man exercise that we in Shetland could not

undertake. Taking our own decisions is not just about doing so in Edinburgh.

Shetland hosted the games in 2005 and, as with Glasgow in 2014, the home team excelled.

We got 46 medals and we won the football. Half the population of the islands were at

Gilbertson park that day and the other half claim that they were. The video of the full match

is in every Shetland home and the winning players are recognised in local supermarkets as

much as Scotland’s 1967 Wembley team is. Shetland 2005 brought £7 million into the

islands’ economy and created a sense of belonging, community spirit, identity and pride for

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local people. Seven hundred islanders volunteered and the media coverage was positive.

To put it mildly, there was a vast social programme. Money was also spent on sporting

infrastructure.

Hosting such games grows sport. That is a real legacy. Competing at successive island

games leads to greater numbers of young people at local club training sessions. Success

means greater participation not just in top-level sport but in recreational sport and healthier

active lifestyles. In Shetland, we built a sports development programme that is based on

coaching, technical officials and training for volunteers. Is that not what a legacy should be

all about?

Emma Leask was 12 in 2005. She was inspired by the athletics at the Clickimin track and

she told her mum, Janice, that she would run for Shetland. Emma has now done so and is a

multiple gold medal winner at successive games.

We now have ladies football, and gymnastics has grown enormously—there is a 200-

member club, which is growing. Lynda Flaws was part of team Scotland in Glasgow 2014

for table tennis. Her success grew out of the hosting of the island games. Volleyball—it is a

great sport for Shetland, given our weather—is a massive success story. Local leagues

mean that a Shetland team now competes in the Scottish national leagues.

There are more examples. Shetland should and, I am sure, will host the games again.

I have one request for ministers. I thank the Minister for Public Health and Sport for what

she has done—and I thank the chief executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, for what he

has done—to try to make an island athletes travel fund happen. We need to turn the

supportive words into a practical scheme that will allow the best island athletes to be part of

Scotland-wide development squads across many sporting disciplines. That scheme is long

overdue.

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD):

I am grateful to my fellow Liverpool-supporting colleague Tavish Scott for giving way. I echo

his points about the travel fund.

As Tavish Scott will be aware, Orkney has intimated its determination to bid for the games

in 2023—I declare an interest in helping with those efforts. I put on record the bid

committee’s gratitude to EventScotland and sportscotland for their engagement to date.

From Shetland’s experience in 2005, will Tavish Scott comment on the importance of direct

Scottish Government engagement and support in that process?

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11023

Young Carers (Welfare Support)

S5O-01167 Jenny Gilruth (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP): To ask the Scottish

Government what it is doing to raise awareness among young carers of welfare

support that they may be entitled to.

The Minister for Social Security (Jeane Freeman):

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11023

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An estimated 7,000 carers aged between 16 and 24 provide 35 or more hours of care each

week, yet fewer than 4,000 of them receive carers allowance.

Working with Young Scot and carers organisations to advise young carers about their rights

and their entitlement to apply for carers allowance, our young carers benefit take-up

campaign, which was targeted at 16 to 24-year-olds, ran during carers week from 12 June.

Materials that are promoted on the Young Scot website and via social media continue to

encourage young carers to claim the support to which they are entitled. Further focused

activity will take place in August alongside the young carers festival.

Jenny Gilruth:

We know that the United Kingdom’s benefits system continues to fail in making sure that all

those who are entitled to support know what support is available and how to get it. Does the

minister agree that the UK Government should simplify the process of applying for benefits?

Should it run a benefit take-up campaign to ensure that people get the financial support to

which they are entitled?

Jeane Freeman:

For the Scottish Government, social security plays a vital role in tackling poverty and

improving lives. Making sure that everyone receives the financial support to which they are

entitled and can do so easily is one of the first steps towards putting dignity and respect at

the heart of that service. Unfortunately, the UK Government has taken no recent action to

improve take-up and provide that much-needed support.

The fairer Scotland budget is providing £3.6 million of funding in 2016-17 for projects that

are designed to maximise incomes and to help people to access benefits. In addition, over

the parliamentary session, we are delivering a programme of activity to increase the uptake

of benefits, working in partnership with local organisations including local authorities and

national health service and third sector organisations. I am pleased to say that, following Mr

Rowley’s raising of the issue in the chamber some time ago and my meeting with him

yesterday, we will convene a round-table meeting to work constructively with all those

agencies—and, I hope, parties across the Parliament—to progress that work.

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11038

Early day motion 84

Citizens Advice Scotland and Scam Awareness Month

Primary sponsor: Christopher Stephens (Scottish National Party, Glasgow South West) That this House recognises Scam Awareness Month, which runs from 1 to 31 July 2017; commends the work of Citizens Advice Scotland for raising the profile of this issue and providing expert guidance to people in learning how to identify and avoid becoming victims

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11038

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of scam activity; understands that it is estimated that each year millions of people in the UK are targeted by scammers, yet only five to 15 per cent of scams are reported; notes that underreporting and stigma are the biggest barriers in preventing scams and fraud and therefore raising awareness is key in the fightback against scammers; further notes that there are a huge variety of scams and that Citizens Advice Scotland, as Scotland's consumer champions, will supply guidance throughout July focusing on different demographics and supporting each to protect themselves from scams; and hopes that this awareness campaign reaches a large audience and provides guidance on how to avoid scams as well as support for people who have already been victims.

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/84

Early day motion 74

Access to Elected Office Fund

Primary sponsor: Caroline Lucas (Green Party, Brighton Pavilion)

That this House welcomes the election of five disabled hon. Members on 8 June 2017, an increase of three on the 2015-2017 Parliament; notes that disabled people are still under-represented in the House, and in politics more widely; further notes that a strong democracy is an inclusive one, and that, as elected representatives, disabled people can directly contribute valuable lived experience to the development of inclusive policy; is concerned that we need to do much more to encourage a diverse mix of local, regional and national election candidates that better reflects the society we live in; deeply regrets the time taken to date to evaluate the pilot Access to Elected Office Fund since its closure in May 2015; notes the Equality and Human Rights Commission's September 2015 recommendation that the Government reopen the Fund in England and work with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to explore options for making the scheme, or similar funds, available across Great Britain; further welcomes the success of the pilot Access to Elected Office Fund (Scotland), administered by Inclusion Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, which provided support to 39 candidates in the 2017 Scottish local authority elections, 15 of whom were elected; and calls on the Government to act on the recommendation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission without further delay.

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/74

Telephone calls to the DWP

Chris Stephens (Glasgow South West) (SNP)

There are many divisions in the House of Commons—literal Divisions when we troop through the voting Lobbies, party divisions both between and within, and differences in age, gender, ethnicity and education. However, I am now coming to the view that one of the biggest differences is between those of us who view social security as a right that should be administered with the utmost care for human dignity and those who view it as a privilege that can and should be denied or strictly limited.

I believe that there are two types of MP—those who view “I, Daniel Blake” and see the reality of their casework reflected in the film, and those who refuse to believe that the social security system is rigged and is actively pushing working people into poverty and punishing the most vulnerable in society. I am not suggesting that the only way an MP can gain insight into the failings of the social security service is by dealing with hundreds of Department for Work and Pensions cases, but surely anyone with an ounce of empathy would know that

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/84http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/74

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the system is deeply flawed, even if they have had only a handful of distressed people at their surgeries.

In the opening scene of “I, Daniel Blake”, the character is on the phone for more than an hour. I am sure I am not the only Member of Parliament who has had constituents telling them about similar cases. Here are just some of mine: a jobseeker’s allowance claimant who has told me of a phone call that cost £9; an employment and support allowance claimant who has told me of a phone call that cost them £16; and a constituent pursuing a disability living allowance claim on behalf of his daughter who has told me of a phone call that cost him £18. I ask the Minister and the House, is it right that a JSA claimant receiving £73.10 a week needs to make a phone call costing £9 to receive their entitlement? Is it right that an ESA claimant receiving £73.10 a week needs to make a phone call costing £16 to receive their entitlement? Is it right that a DLA claimant receiving a weekly entitlement of £76.90 has to make a phone call costing £18?

Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) (SNP)

My hon. Friend is talking about the injustice of the amount of money that people have to pay. Does he agree that many people have no money because of broken promises on their payments, which is driving them to food banks as their last resort?

Chris Stephens

I do agree. In fact, I would say that food banks have probably been the only growth industry in the United Kingdom in the past seven years, as many Members of Parliament can see.

I believe the answer to the questions that I have just asked the Minister is no. The reason I continue to campaign on this telephone tax is that it adds insult to injury. It is just one more financial kick in the teeth when people are paying for access to information and support. When every penny counts, call charges hit hard, and the lack of clarity as to which lines are free and which ones come with a cost does not help. The Government’s own website states that some telephone calls can cost 55p a minute. Can the Minister confirm whether the gov.uk website provides accurate information on charges for calls to the DWP?

Call charges do not just eat into people’s benefits; I suggest that they actively deter people from calling for because they fear incurring charges either from the lines themselves or from a mobile phone provider. As I look deeper into the issue and ask more questions, more disturbing information comes to light. There are serious flaws in the digital-by-design model. Exclusion is built into the system. A written question I tabled just before Dissolution revealed that, in the whole of the Glasgow South West constituency, there are only 16 PCs for thousands of claimants. I am sure the Minister will be happy to know that a few follow-up questions are on the way to him, but today he could answer these: what are the Government going to do to increase computer literacy and access in DWP offices; and does the Department for Work and Pensions agree that those who have received a financial penalty—a sanction—or who have been paid late should have to pay for a telephone call to the DWP to chase up their entitlement? I am calling for free phone calls to access every aspect of the Department for Work and Pensions, but especially for those who have been sanctioned or hit by late payments. Someone paid late should not have to access a chargeable phone line to chase up money they are owed by the state.

Incredibly, there are no telephone lines at all for universal credit claims or inquiries—it is a completely digital service. What about those with no digital access, or who are not computer-literate or even literate? I accept that that is a whole other issue, but we need to recognise that basic literacy skills are not universal, and nor is English everyone’s first

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language. Will the Government consider a special telephone line for universal credit claimants?

I have already said there are issues with mobiles and price plans. I am calling for the Government to work with mobile and landline providers to improve that. A price plan can determine what someone pays in reality, but if they go over and above those limits, they incur penalty charges and costs increase. Since April, penalty charges on non- inclusive calls have increased dramatically, meaning that someone on a lengthy call to the Department for Work and Pensions will see the cost escalate.

The Government promised a review following the 2016 Social Security Advisory Committee report, which criticised the Government and asked for free phone lines to be put in place. The Government stated that that would cost £7 million, but they also made a number of recommendations, including having a call-back system. Like many a frustrated claimant, we are still waiting. When can we expect the review to be published, and will it include working with mobile and landline providers to reduce, and as far as possible eliminate, costs for DWP claimants? Is £7 million not a small amount of the overall Government budget to ensure that the most vulnerable and those in need do not pay for telephone calls that they cannot afford?

It is bad enough that official helplines hit callers with added costs, but on top of everything else, there is a thriving business in ripping off the vulnerable—the so-called call connections websites, which advertise Government services phone numbers and claim to provide a service. In essence, they are fake premium-rate connection numbers. The Government have described them in a ministerial response to me as unethical but not illegal.

To read the full debate, go to http://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2017-06-21/debates/FADA093B-D71F-41AA-BDB4-F0B3F3FE6CA2/TelephoneCallsToTheDWP

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