We have exciting news to share regarding our Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS).
We are really happy to have been awarded grant funding from the Peter Kershaw Trust to enable us to recruit 3 new part-time youth workers. We recently advertised these roles, and we are planning for our new staff to start work from April 2023.
Our Management team has taken a strategic decision to re-shape and expand our Children and Young People’s Services from April 2023. We are aiming to offer a service from 0–24 years, which will enable deaf children to join MDC as young as possible and stay with us throughout their childhood and into adulthood. Their families will also be able to connect with MDC to receive essential support from their child’s early years onwards.
Senior Manager, Mark Woodall says:
‘It is essential deaf children and young people can access a deaf-specific youth service as many barriers exist for them within wider society. I believe that MDC is well placed to provide this service. Most of our staff are deaf and have first-hand experience of the barriers and issues that deaf children and young people are facing. We are accessible – communication is never a barrier, whatever the young person’s preferred method. We can provide deaf-accessible opportunities to learn and grow social networks and encourage young people to do and be whatever they want, showing them that their deafness is not an issue. As well as working with the child/young person, we can also work with their family members to provide re-assurance, advice and guidance, so that they are able to break down barriers and empower their child.’
Watch out for further updates about our CYPS in our future newsletters. In the meantime, if you are a deaf young person and would like to join one of our groups, or you are an adult who would like to enquire about a child joining one of our groups, please contact Claire Holland or Mark Woodall for further information.
