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Local Offer

Specialist Teacher Advisory Service – Sensory Loss (Hearing and Vision)

Offering services to:
  • Children 0-5
  • Secondary school aged children
  • Adults 19-25
  • Primary school aged children
  • Young people 16-18

The Sensory Team are part of the Hampshire Specialist Teacher Advisory Service (STAS). We provide specialist support for children and young people with hearing loss or vision impairment or multi-sensory impairment. Access to specialist services requires an additional level of assessment. 

Who to contact

Contact Name
Specialist Teacher Advisory Service
Telephone
0370 779 0779 0370 779 0779
E-mail
stas.service@hants.gov.uk
Website
https://www.hants.gov.uk/.../stas
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Where to go

Name
Specialist Teacher Advisory Service
Address
Hampshire County Council, Dame Mary Fagan House
Lutyens Close
Basingstoke
Hampshire
Postcode

RG24 8AG

View RG24 8AG on a map

Availability

Referral required
Referral Details

For children or young people with hearing loss we only accept referrals with an NHS diagnosis from the audiology department.

For children or young people with vision impairment we usually accept referrals made to our service by an NHS ophthalmologist (Eye Hospital).

Referrals for children with vision impairment can also be taken from schools, parents or other professionals involved with the child/young person. In these cases, we will request confirmation of diagnosis and medical details from the ophthalmologist and/or paediatrician.

All referrals taken onto caseload must meet our criteria for involvement.  

Local Offer

Description

The Sensory Team supports children and young people with hearing loss or vision impairment or multi-sensory impairment.  We focus on good progress and independence, by promoting optimum educational opportunity via early intervention and inclusive practice.

We are a specialist multi-disciplinary team, who aim to share expertise by working in partnership with families, children or young people and educational staff. The team aim to build capacity, act as advocates and promote quality provision and inclusion in all educational settings. Children and young people are supported and empowered, to achieve throughout their learning journey and be well prepared for adulthood.

We are a team made up of experienced teachers and other professionals with qualifications in their relevant specialisms. Once we receive a referral we will assess and support your child based on their level of need.

STAS can offer support and advice to schools, parents or other professionals by phone or email.

 

Contact Name
Specialist Teacher Advisory Service
Contact Telephone
0370 779 0779
Contact Email
stas.service@hants.gov.uk
Links
Specialist Teacher Advisory Service
What does your service do?

The Sensory Team supports children and young people with hearing loss or vision impairment or multi-sensory impairment.  We focus on good progress and independence, by promoting optimum educational opportunity via early intervention and inclusive practice.

We are a specialist multi-disciplinary team, who aim to share expertise by working in partnership with families, children or young people and educational staff. The team aim to build capacity, act as advocates and promote quality provision and inclusion in all educational settings. Children and young people are supported and empowered, to achieve throughout their learning journey and be well prepared for adulthood.

We are a team made up of experienced teachers and other professionals with qualifications in their relevant specialisms. Once we receive a referral we will assess and support your child based on their level of need.

STAS can offer support and advice to schools, parents or other professionals by phone or email and face to face.

Typical activities

What do we do?

  • Support families from the point of diagnosis or referral through home visits, contacts with educational settings and regular communication with all.
  • Assess the impact of sensory loss and give advice about strategies to support learning and development.
  • Give advice to practitioners in early years settings, schools and colleges through observations, discussions, and bespoke training.
  • Provide advice about the learning environment and suggest ways to make the environment more accessible for children or young people with sensory loss.
  • Contribute to multi-agency work through meetings and professional liaison.
  • Provide evidence for statutory assessment for children with high need who require an Education Health and Care Plan.
  • Monitor provision and progress across all settings.
  • Work collaboratively with parents and settings to improve outcomes for individual children or young people with sensory loss.
  • Listen to the views of children and young people, involving them in decision making whenever possible.
  • Provide specialist equipment to support learning based on individual needs.
  • Provide specialist teaching such as early sign communication to preschool families and specific settings, Braille or independent living skills where required.
  • Signpost children, young people and/or their families to other agencies or charities for further support.
  • Process Certificates of Vision Impairment by registering children and young people as sight impaired with the local council and issuing the Hampshire Yellow Card

There is no need to use a personal budget for this service; it will not add anything to what is already provided, unless it is used to pay for training in situations where costs are presented to schools.

Who does your service provide for?

For children or young people with hearing loss we only accept referrals with an NHS diagnosis from the audiology department, ENT department, from the Local Authority SEN Team and from other local authority services, where there has been a clear diagnosis of hearing loss which meets our criteria for referral.

If your child is referred to us after their New-born Hearing Screening Programme test, we aim to contact you within 48 hours of the referral being made. If your child is referred at another time, we aim to contact you within two weeks.

For children or young people with vision impairment we usually accept referrals made to our service by an NHS ophthalmologist (Eye Hospital).

Referrals for children with vision impairment can also be taken from schools, parents or other professionals involved with the child/young person. In these cases, we will request confirmation of diagnosis and medical details from the ophthalmologist and/or paediatrician, from the Local Authority SEN Team and from other local authority services for vision impairment, where there has been a clear diagnosis of loss of vision which meets our criteria for referral.

Referrers are asked to fill in a referral form which is designed to provide a scaffold to gather initial information. The referral form will be sent out to the referrer for completion and can be returned in the post or electronically. Consent from parents must be obtained by the referrer.

If the child or young person meets our criteria for involvement, we then contact parents for further consent to work with their child. Once the consents are in place, we aim to arrange an initial visit to home/school as soon as possible.

There are no charges for Hampshire pre-schools, maintained schools, academies, free schools or colleges. There are usually charges for schools in the independent sector unless there is a special agreement with SEN Department.

 

How can I start using the service?

For children or young people with hearing loss we only accept referrals with an NHS diagnosis from the audiology department, ENT department, from the Local Authority SEN Team and from other local authority services, where there has been a clear diagnosis of hearing loss which meets our criteria for referral.

If your child is referred to us after their New-born Hearing Screening Programme test, we aim to contact you within 48 hours of the referral being made. If your child is referred at another time, we aim to contact you within two weeks.

For children or young people with vision impairment we usually accept referrals made to our service by an NHS ophthalmologist (Eye Hospital).

Referrals for children with vision impairment can also be taken from schools, parents or other professionals involved with the child/young person. In these cases, we will request confirmation of diagnosis and medical details from the ophthalmologist and/or paediatrician, from the Local Authority SEN Team and from other local authority services for vision impairment, where there has been a clear diagnosis of loss of vision which meets our criteria for referral.

Referrers are asked to fill in a referral form which is designed to provide a scaffold to gather initial information. The referral form will be sent out to the referrer for completion and can be returned in the post or electronically. Consent from parents must be obtained by the referrer.

If the child or young person meets our criteria for involvement, we then contact parents for further consent to work with their child. Once the consents are in place, we aim to arrange an initial visit to home/school as soon as possible.

There are no charges for Hampshire pre-schools, maintained schools, academies, free schools or colleges. There are usually charges for schools in the independent sector unless there is a special agreement with SEN Department.

 

Where is it located and what areas does it cover?

Specialist Teacher Advisory Service, Children’s Services Department, Dame Mary Fagan House, Lutyens Close, Basingstoke RG24 8AG

Specialist Teacher Advisory Service, Children’s Services Department,  Havant Public Service Plaza, Civic Centre Road, Havant, PO9 2AX

Specialist Teacher Advisory Service, Children’s Services Department, Winchester Local Office, Falcon House, Monarch Way, Winchester, SO22 5PL

 

How are decisions made about who can use your service?

Decisions about who can use the service are made by the leadership team who are either Qualified Teachers for Vision Impairment or Qualified Teachers of the Deaf, using the referral criteria. Discussions and close liaison take place with other professionals in Health and Education working with the child or young person. STAS will either write a report or speak to parents, or refer back to Audiology to explain the outcome of referrals or to explain when a child or young person no longer meets the criteria for visits.

How do you communicate with service users and how are they involved in decision making?

STAS have regular communication with service users through written reports, meetings, annual reviews where appropriate, telephone contact, emails and/or school / home visits. From the information shared in these situations, service users will be informed of any progress the child / young person is making and whether any additional support/intervention is required if the expected progress is not being made.  If there is sufficient interest STAS will run courses specifically for parents.

STAS runs parent support groups and coffee mornings in some parts of the county.  Support groups develop and evolve as needs are identified.

STAS has many specialised leaflets for service users in relation to Sensory loss. These can be found in the resources section of the website. Specialist Teacher Advisory Services - Resources

STAS conduct annual surveys seeking the views of schools, parents and young people. These help to evaluate the service we provide and identify areas for improvement.

Is your service fully accessible?

Yes

It is unusual for service users to have to attend meetings at the Local Offices, as most meetings take place in the child’s home or the educational setting, however all three offices are accessible. All offices have accessible toilets, but they do not have accessible changing facilities. All STAS leaflets and reports are electronic and can be produced in large print or braille upon request.

There is support for BSL users and for families whose first language is not English.

What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEN and Disabilities had or are having?

The STAS Service is a multi-disciplinary service with all members of staff qualified and trained in their specialist area and it is a requirement for them to continue to update their knowledge through continual professional development. Teacher advisers are experienced and qualified teachers who are also Qualified Teachers of the Vision Impaired (QTVI), Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QTOD) or Qualified Teachers of Multi-Sensory Impaired (QTMSI). Our mobility and independence team are Qualified Habilitation Specialists (QHS) and our Deaf Instructors, including Early Years Deaf instructors are qualified in British Sign Language.

How will I know my child is safe?

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. We ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All staff members hold an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate.

This service complies with and adheres to all Hampshire County Council policies regarding safety at work, child protection and data protection (GDPR).

What communication methods are you familiar with?
  • Braille
Does your service include children and young people with:
  • Visual impairment
  • Hearing impairment
How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

Parents and carers of children and young people in educational settings should contact the setting (early years, school or college) initially for more information.

Parents and carers of very young children should contact the Service directly.

More information about our service can be found on our website: Specialist Teacher Advisory Service

Service users can contact the Hampshire Special Educational Needs Department for more information in relation to Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and school placement. Special Educational Needs (SEN) Service | Children and Families | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk)

For further information related to SEN generally Hampshire SENDIASS is an impartial SEND Advice and Support Service. Hampshire SENDIASS | Impartial SEND Advice & Support

Offering services to:
  • Children 0-5
  • Secondary school aged children
  • Adults 19-25
  • Primary school aged children
  • Young people 16-18

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Last Updated: 19 December 2023

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