The journey of the Family Mentor Program began with a fact-finding trip to New Zealand to learn about Deaf Aotearoa’s ‘First Signs’ program. Read on to see what members of our Therapy and Family Services team Genevieve Roberts and Naomi Hayman learnt, what they realised was missing for deaf children and families in Australia and how the Family Mentor Program fills this gap.  

The First Signs Program was investigated as it is evidence-based and well-reputed in Oceania, is positively evaluated by the New Zealand government and because of its proximity to New Zealand as Australia’s ‘cousins’. 

What Is the First Signs Program? 

The First Signs Program assists families with deaf children under five to develop early language skills at home before they start school and fosters a network among families and the Deaf community, strengthening Deaf awareness, inspiring positive aspirations, and supporting family resilience. The program follows the Family Centred Early Intervention (FCEI) philosophy, emphasising the importance of family involvement in all aspects of early intervention and support. 

“The program is about empowering parents. Deaf facilitators collaborate with parents. Parents have expertise. First Signs recognises that one of the skills parents need is to be able to advocate for their child.” 

– Genevieve Roberts

The program also aligns with the New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) strategy to raise the profile and use of sign language as an official language with the same status as spoken English and Maori, a recognition not yet fully realised for Auslan in Australia. 

Te Whāriki – NZ’s Early Childhood Framework 

The early childhood framework in New Zealand echoes Deaf Connect’s bicultural and open communication approach to expose children to various forms of language, and the Deaf community, in early intervention.  

“It encourages all children to learn in their own ways, supported by adults who know them well and have their best interests at heart.” 

– Genevive Roberts  

 

Key Learnings from the trip:

Deaf mentors:

From observing sessions with three diverse families, the team saw firsthand how Deaf mentors can work within families, reinforcing the importance of early sign language acquisition and fostering a supportive community environment. 

Holistic early intervention: 

Holistic intervention was more widely seen New Zealand vs Australia, opening up to all communication options beyond an “either/or” pathway (sign vs speech).  

So what’s the key thing that is missing at the beginning of parent’s journeys in Australia?  

Deaf adults.

Our team saw the importance of having Deaf adults involved from the beginning of a child’s journey, providing the necessary support that can significantly impact developmental outcomes. By learning from the First Signs program and integrating these insights into our approach, we aim to provide the best possible start in life for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Australia. Our Family Mentor Program not only aims to bridge the gap in early childhood language acquisition but also strengthens the entire family’s connection to the Deaf community.  

“I actually surveyed over 250 families with Deaf and hard of hearing children…We looked at international programs and models, we looked at the local area here and what’s happening and what parents needed and we designed a service specifically to meet your needs”  

– Genevieve Roberts  

 

Our Family Mentor Program

Deaf Connect’s new Family Mentor Program matches families with deaf and hard-of-hearing children aged 0-8 with Deaf adults to provide the foundational stepping stones into language and community. 

What sets our Family Mentor Program apart is the inclusion of Deaf adults who are: 

• Fluent in Auslan 

• Possess lived experience, and have  

• Specialised training in early language acquisition 

Our Deaf mentors model language for the entire family and maximise communication possibilities, including Auslan, visual communication and more, offering children every option to decide their communication preferences later in life. 

“We look forward to taking the wisdom and rich experience back to Australia with us, and sharing it with our Deaf Connect colleagues. We feel inspired and energised to return to Sydney and establish an empowering service for our community of families with deaf and hard of hearing children.”

– Genevieve Roberts 

Learn more about our Family Mentor Program available in Metro NSW here: https://deafconnect.org.au/services/therapy-and-family-services/family-mentor-program  

Acknowledgements  

Thank you to Natasha Clouett and Bridgett Ferguson as the key First Signs trip hosts, and Naomi Hayman.