Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to hearing parents of deaf children to learn British Sign Language.

The government understands the great importance of British Sign Language (BSL) for bridging barriers to communication between hearing and deaf people and appreciates the vital need for families with deaf children to be able to access BSL courses, as early access to language is essential to help children learn and thrive.

Funding is available through DWP’s Adult Skills Fund (ASF) for qualifications in or focussing on BSL, up to and including level 2. The ASF fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. 68% of the ASF has been devolved to 13 Strategic Authorities, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The DWP provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas.

The DWP funded BSL qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost through co-funding. Where tailored learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission. For qualifications at Level 3 and above Advanced Learner Loans are available for certain BSL qualifications.