GPOD Position Statement on Parent Support

GPOD is the Global Coalition of Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Aussie Deaf Kids is a founding member of this group and in June 2010, GPOD presented its Position Statement at the NHS 2010 conference in Como, Italy.

This Position Statement and Family Support Recommendations are the synthesis of input from parent leaders and family support organizations worldwide who have contributed to this document. They reflect feedback on the most effective and appropriate practices from the parents’ perspective, as well as current research supported data.

What does this mean for YOUR family?

These recommendations provide a framework for you to evaluate the services and systems that support you and to advocate for change when they do not meet your needs.

1. Your service providers should incorporate formal parent consultation into the development and monitoring of the systems that serve you. If changes are made that will affect the families using that service, have the parents been an integral part of that change process?
   
   
2. Supporting families depends on high quality support from professionals, other parents and deaf adults. Some parents need more support than others. Some parents want to meet other parents who have ‘been there, done that’ and some parents find meeting deaf adults provides them with an understanding and acceptance of their child’s deafness. Your service provider should assist you to access the appropriate support for your child and family. 
   
   
3. You should expect the professionals working with your family to undertake on-going professional learning including developing their knowledge and skills to support families appropriately and sensitively.
   
   
4. You should expect high quality information. This information should be relevant and meaningful to you. The information should be comprehensive and unbiased and discuss honestly the full range of provisions that are possible for your family.
   
   
5. The professionals should guide and support you to understand the information and make an informed decision.

Your journey with a deaf child is a partnership between parents and professionals. The professionals are there to guide and support you to confidently raise your deaf child.

Read the GPOD Position Statement