Hearing Support Team
About the Service
The Hearing Support Team (HST) is one of Birmingham City Council’s SEND support services. The team consists of qualified teachers of the deaf, specialist teaching assistants, and educational audiologist and audiology technicians who support children and young people with hearing loss.
Support
The Hearing Support Team supports children and young people from 0-25 years with a diagnosis of hearing loss who have been prescribed hearing aids. These may include: bone conduction aids, behind the ear hearing aids, and cochlear implants. The level of support will depend on your child’s degree of hearing loss (mild, moderate, severe or profound) and its impact.
The type of support and where it is delivered depends on your child’s diagnosis of hearing loss and its impact, and may include:
- Specialist playgroup for preschool children (0-4 years)
- Family homes
- Early years settings
- Schools – mainstream and special
- Colleges
The type and frequency of support offered will depend on the level of hearing loss (mild, moderate, severe or profound) as diagnosed by clinical audiologists and its impact on your child. We also work with other professionals including speech and language therapists and audiologists.
Referral
Who can refer my child for support?
- Audiologists at the hospital – most referrals come from hospitals
- Parents and carers
- School or nursery staff
- Health visitors
- Other professionals
What are the criteria for a successful referral?
HST is only able to take referrals of children and young people who have a diagnosis of a hearing loss (under an audiology department), AND have been prescribed with hearing aids or cochlear implants.
How is a referral made?
Please access the following documentation to assist with any referral to HST.