Welcome to the NatSIP Website

This website offers access to a wealth of SI resources, most of which are now freely available.  We encourage you to register on the site for full access to everything we have to offer.  Registration is free, and open to anyone.  A walkthrough/howto on the registration process is here.

The NDCS loan scheme for LENA service is now live.

LENA (which stands for Language ENvironment Analysis) is the industry standard for measuring talk with children birth to three, a critical factor in early brain development.

More detail is available through the NDCS link: https://www.ndcs.org.uk/blog/our-new-lena-loan-service-has-now-launched/

Presentations are now available from the MSI Study Day on Monday 8 April 2019 at Touchbase Pears in Birmingham.

The following presentations from the morning sessions are available in the folder document library

Session 1: 
  document What counts as MSI - Anthony McKay

Session 2:
  pdf Communication - Current ideas and new research - Steve Rose
(Slides as PDF)

Session 3:
  document Sensory processing difficulties - an educational perspective - Ellie Davies Moore
  pdf Accompanying handout

Session 4:
  document Joined-up working: How it works in practice - Kim Hodge

Session 5:
Networks and resources - Heather Murdoch
  pdf List of MSI Networks and contacts prepared by Eileen Boothroyd and shared during the session

Session 6:

Session 6a - Developing Mobility Skills - Liz Hodges

Session 6b - Tactile communication - Gail Deuce, Steve Rose

Session 6c - Using technology to assist communication - Caireen Sutherland, Becky Timbers

Session 6d - Working with post-19 MSI students - Gary Hymdman

Session 6e - Individualised assessment - Jenny Fletcher, Anthony McKay

Session 7:

Session 7f - Peer relationships - supporting in mainstream - Anne Cheesebrough, Emma Mathes

Session 7g - Working with familiies and schools - Kim Owen, Wendy Pallant

Session 7h - Extending experience for pupils with complex medical needs - Gavin Smith

Session 7i - Responses to challenging behaviour, communicaiton and SPD - Heather Murdoch

Session 7j - Continuing development for experienced professionals - Liz Hodges

The Anna Freud Centre has published a booklet looking at ways schools can help children with their mental health and wellbeing. The booklet looks at how schools can support children with different mental health concerns by identifying problems and measuring and monitoring pupils' emotional wellbeing.

Source: Anna Freud  Date: 19 March 2019

Further information:  Supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools (PDF)

VIEW colleagues have written a discussion paper arguing for a specialist VI curriculum. Rory Cobb and Sue Keil spoke about this at the NatSIP working day on 5 February. The  paper is available to read via the VIEW website. It can be downloaded through this link, which is on the public pages of the website: https://viewweb.org.uk/specialistcurriculum/ 

The MSI Study Day on 8 April 2019 in Birmingham was fully booked, and was popular with delegates.  We will post the presentations and outcomes of the day soon. 

Supported by NatSIP, Sense, Victoria School, the University of Birmingham and Seashell Trust, this special event was  designed for professionals directly involved in the education of young children and young people with multi-sensory impairment.

The programme included:

  • Updates on new developments, including short presentations on new work
  • Networking opportunities with colleagues
  • Information about resources and networks available for support throughout the year

If you didn't secure a place...

If you were unable to secure a place, would you like us to repeat or hold a similar event?  NatSIP are prepared to negotiate with contributors to see if this can be arranged. If so, we would need to charge a modest fee for attendance in order to run the event again. Please let us know what you think.

If you would be interested in attending a similar study day, please send an email with your name and contact details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The NICE final guidance has been published today. See https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/TA566/chapter/1-Recommendations 

A research paper on age appropriate listening and spoken language abilities for children with hearing loss has recently been published by Hearing First.

The paper explores the impact of 21st century technology on the development of speech and language of deaf children.

The paper can be downloaded from the Hearing First website through this link: https://hearingfirst.org/

NDCS produces a note to local authorities in England on specialist education services for deaf children. This includes information on some of the legal considerations that local authorities should take into account if making cuts or changes to services.

NDCS have just updated and republished this –  it can be found through this link: https://www.ndcs.org.uk/documents-and-resources/specialist-education-services-for-deaf-children-advice-for-commissioners-england/

NDCS also have a resource for Teachers of the Deaf, EAL coordinators and all other staff working in education to support the achievement of deaf children who use English as an additional language (EAL learners) and their families, which can be accessed here: www.ndcs.org.uk/eal

The Find an Advisor (FAA) section of the NatSIP website has been in use in pilot for a while and we have been working with users, seeking specialist SI advice, to develop and refine the facilities of the FAA Directory.

At the NatSIP working day on 5 February 2019 we demonstrated and 'launched' the new FAA Directory and are pleased that there has been considerable interest from advisors, to register, and from those seeking independent advice.

In order to search and access the listings in the FAA Directory you do need to be registered on and logged in to the NatSIP website.

We have published some NatSIP guidelines for use of the directory and you might like to read these before starting:

 

Presentations are now available from the NatSIP Working Day Developments in Policy and Practice for the SI Sector on Tuesday 5 February 2019 at Hamilton House in London.

The following presentatons are available:

Session 1: 
  document André Imich's Presentation:  What 'good' looks like in Local Area Inspections

Session 2:
  document Ali Fiddy's Presentation:  Why appeals to SENDIST are increasing in number and complexity
(Ali Fiddy is Chief Executive Officer of Iindependent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA).  For more information on IPSEA see this flyer or the IPSEA website.)

Session 3:  Workshops
  document 3a:  Lindsey Rousseau's Presentation:  Equipping the whole school system for SI - an update from the NatSIP contract with Whole School SEND
3b:  Tina Wakefield: The HI Early Years Framework - No presentation
  document 3c: Rory Cobb and Sue Keil's presentation -  The specialist VI curriculum and the role of the QTVI. See: https://viewweb.org.uk/specialistcurriculum/

Session 4a:
  document Lindsey Rousseau's Presentaton :  The SENDIST National Trial - an update

Session 4b:
  document Brian Lamb's Presentation : Emerging findings from the review of the MQ for SI

Session 5:
  document Sue Lewis's Presentation: Policy and Practice: Implications for the SI Sector

Session 6:
6d: document Bev Mars's Presentation :  MSI in mainstream - what good looks like.
6d: document Bev Mars's Handouts
6e:  Nicky Ereaut:  SI support services in the changing environment - no presentaton
6f:  Alison Weaver:  Addressing current challenges for VI and HI specialist provision - no presentation

The CRIDE 2018 report for England is now finished. It has been published online on the National Deaf Children’s Society website at www.ndcs.org.uk/CRIDE and on the BATOD website at https://www.batod.org.uk/information/cride-reports/

The Northern Ireland report should be ready soon followed by the Wales report which will take another few weeks.

NICE have just published new guidelines on eligibility for Cochlear Implants which will significantly increase the number of children and young adults who could be eligible for an implant.

Please see https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/hundreds-more-children-and-adults-eligible-for-cochlear-implants-on-the-nhs

The key changes will affect children and well as adults by lowering the level at which people qualify to 80dB HL from 90dB HL and by being tested four frequencies instead of two. Otherwise for children the definition stays the same. This is a very significant change in the guidelines. This should ensure that more children and young adults who can benefit from a Cochlear Implant are able to do so and brings us more in line with European standards.  The guidelines will come into force in about 3 months once they are formally implemented.

The National Deaf Childrens Society have published an FAQ on radio aids in the early years. This provides a summary of research published last year, and also responds to the various issues that have been raised since. This will be a live document and may be updated over time.

It can be dowloaded from the NDCS website at: https://www.ndcs.org.uk/document.rm?id=14049.

This FAQ is in addition to a briefing that NDCS recently published on radio aids safety with under 3s: http://www.ndcs.org.uk/document.rm?id=13887

The latest findings of the Transitional Research, funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust and conducted by the Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) at the University of Birmingham has found that:

  • Just over a fifth (21 per cent) are either ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET) or in long term unpaid voluntary work
  • Some young people with vision impairment do not feel ready for work and are not actively seeking employment, instead choosing to take on voluntary work or not to work at all
  • Young people with vision impairment who are NEET are often not signposted to services which could enable them to access the labour market
  • Some young people with vision impairment are employed in short-term unsecure roles, making it difficult for them to get Access to Work and other accommodations
  • Young people with vision impairment often face a ‘cliff edge’ after completing their education. For example, a large proportion of participants became NEET when leaving Higher Education (HE), and several returned to study when they didn’t find work.

https://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/the-journey-from-education-to-employment-for-young-people-with-vision-impairment/

The NDCS has published a report which sets out the findings from a survey of paediatric audiology services in England, carried out in May 2018 using Freedom of Information requests. The findings provide a benchmark in order to review how audiology services change in future years.

It is available through NDCS website at: http://www.ndcs.org.uk/professional_support/national_data/paediatric_audiology.html

 

NDCS would like to tap into those involved with deaf young people who can share expertise, experience and wisdom of emotional well being.

They have known for a long time that some deaf children are at greater risk of experiencing difficulties with their emotional well-being and mental health.

In light of this and the wider interest currently in how children are supported more generally in this area, NDCS are interested in any examples of interesting practice or interventions by services, schools or other organisations that focuses on the emotional well-being of deaf children.

NDCS know that some professionals are using the Healthy Minds resource and are also interested to know of any other particular resources that people find helpful. Ian Noon is happy to be contacted directly by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  1. NatSIP Working Day/HoSS Event - 3 October 2018 - Presentations now available
  2. 2018 Update: Ensuring equal access to public examinations for candidates with sensory impairment
  3. Supporting young people with vision impairment into Higher Education - an invitation to QTVIs to participate
  4. New NDCS content on Equality Act and deaf children
  5. New NDCS content on deafness and autism
  6. Presentations now available - National Working Day - 7 June 2018
  7. Strategic support to the workforce in mainstream and special schools
  8. NatSIP reporting to the DfE for 2017-18 Q4
  9. New video: Sensory processing disorder
  10. New publication: Commissioning Guide and Workbook for Sensory Impairment Services
  11. NatSIP and OnLineTraining Sensory Impairment courses
  12. New updated Glue Ear booklet - for parents
  13. New Report: Regional Commissioning for low-incidence, high-need children with SEND
  14. New publications: Model Service Level Agreements
  15. Updated NDCS SEN reforms FAQ
  16. Presentations from the NatSIP Working Day - 6 February 2018