Will the Minister clarify how much of the £289,000 allocated to teaching assistants through the additional learning needs transformation programme will be made available to fund training for teaching assistants wanting to improve signing skills?
As part of our Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Transformation Programme we are investing in the training and development needed to strengthen the capacity of local authority specialist services. These services employ professionally qualified staff, such as educational psychologists and teachers of the deaf, to support learners with ALN in schools. In 2018 we allocated a total of £289,018 to four local authority regions over three academic years to support post-graduate and British Sign Language (BSL) training of this specialist workforce. Funding was allocated based on regional bids and £17,600 was allocated to BSL provision. It was for each region to decide which specialist services staff should undertake training.
The Additional Learning Needs and Education (Wales) Act 2018 will create an improved system for children and young people with additional learning needs, including those with a hearing impairment. The Act has fairness and equality at its core and aims to ensure all learners are supported to reach their full potential. The legislative framework places learners needs, views, wishes and feelings at the heart of the planning process. The Act is expected to come into force from September 2020 and the phased implementation period will last until 2023. Until then, local authorities must ensure they continue to meet the needs of learners with hearing impairment in accordance with duties placed upon them by the Education Act 1996 and the SEN Code of Practice for Wales.
Training courses in BSL are offered by local authorities as part of their adult education provision and also by many further education institutions. We recognise that the availability, costs and levels of these courses vary and we have, therefore, commissioned an independent review of BSL provision for adults in Wales. The review is now underway and is focused on establishing: current provision available within the post-16 education sector; the existing and potential demand for provision; current access and barriers to accessing provision; and the current potential costs to adult learners. The review will be published in July.
We recognise the range of issues currently faced by members of the hearing impaired community in Wales in relation to BSL. Officials will work with local authorities and other partners on our proposals to develop a national charter for delivery of services and resources to children with hearing impairment, young people and their families.