Our Story
Croydon Deaf Children's Society began when a handful of parents, scattered across the borough and feeling quite isolated, decided they needed each other. In 2003, they started meeting at a community hall near East Croydon, swapping stories about audiology appointments, school battles, and the small victories that no one else seemed to understand.
What began as an informal coffee morning grew steadily. By 2006, the group had registered as a charity and secured its first small grant from Croydon Council. That funding paid for BSL taster workshops and a summer picnic that attracted nearly forty families. It was the first time many of those parents had met another deaf child outside a hospital waiting room.
Over the following years, the society broadened its work. We produced plain-English guides on topics like cochlear implants and educational rights, and partnered with the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) on regional campaigns. Our parent support groups, now running monthly, became a reliable fixture for families who needed honest advice and genuine companionship.
What We Do Today
We remain a volunteer-led charity, and our focus hasn't shifted: we exist to make life a bit easier for families raising deaf children in Croydon and the surrounding areas. Our work falls into a few broad areas.
Support and Connection
Our parent support groups meet on the first Saturday of each month at a venue in central Croydon. These sessions aren't lectures — they're conversations. Parents share what's working, what isn't, and what they wish they'd known sooner. We also run a newly diagnosed service that pairs families with experienced parent mentors who've walked the same path.
Resources and Information
We publish free resource guides covering communication options, hearing technology, the SEND system, and the transition to secondary school. Everything is written in clear language, reviewed by professionals, and updated regularly. Our aim is to give parents the information they need to make confident decisions.
Events and Activities
From craft workshops during half-term to our annual family fun day in the summer, our events programme gives deaf children and their siblings a chance to socialise, try new things, and simply enjoy themselves. We also organise deaf awareness sessions for schools and community organisations.
Advocacy
When families hit a wall — whether it's a school that won't provide a radio aid or a local authority dragging its feet on an EHC Plan — we can point them towards the right support. We don't offer legal advice, but we know the system well enough to help families navigate it, and we work with the local authority to promote good practice.
Our Values
A few principles shape everything we do:
- Honesty over reassurance. We give parents accurate information, even when the answers aren't simple.
- Inclusion. We welcome all families of deaf children, regardless of the communication approach they've chosen or the type of hearing loss their child has.
- Lived experience. Our committee and volunteers include parents of deaf children, deaf adults, and professionals who specialise in paediatric audiology and deaf education.
- Collaboration. We work alongside NHS audiology services, Croydon Council's SEND team, and national charities like the NDCS to improve outcomes for deaf children locally.
Looking Ahead
The charity has grown considerably since those early coffee mornings, but there's more to do. Newborn hearing screening identifies around 1,000 babies each year across the UK as deaf or hard of hearing, and too many families still struggle to find local support quickly enough. We're working to expand our mentoring programme, increase the range of events we offer, and ensure that every family of a deaf child in Croydon knows we're here.
If you'd like to help, there are several ways to volunteer or donate. You can also contact us if you just want to find out more about what we do.