An award-winning charity that has been operating for more than 40 years, has been commissioned to bring its skills and expertise to Flintshire.
DSN will now deliver the support services for people with a hearing loss or vision loss in the county for the next three years.
The North-West based charity also supports more than 100,000 people across Cheshire and the surrounding areas and has recently started to become the main service provider in Wrexham too.
Bob Birchall, CEO of DSN, said:
“We are very much looking forward to getting around Flintshire and working with people will all kinds of specialised needs across every part of the county. We have provided a Technical Assessment service in Flintshire for many years and are delighted to be building on this strong foundation to make a real difference to the lives of those living with a sensory loss.”
DSN provides day-to-day support for those with a hearing loss or visual impairment, including social care support, technical assessments and rehabilitation and enablement support too. Community support workers work across the community to complete home assessments and help with any additional needs. The services are provided free at the point of need.
The charity also provides support via projects, such as ‘I’m Hear’ – a programme for young people and their families, delivered thanks to funding from BBC Children In Need. It also operates a not-for-profit CIC, Positive Hearing, which aims to give people greater, fairer choice in relation to hearing equipment.
DSN is a leader in pioneering research into deafness and dementia and its links, most recently launching a study into how the two are assessed at primary care level. The team of 75, all of whom can use British Sign Language, also includes an array of dedicated and loyal volunteers and it has partnerships with several local authorities, governing bodies and other charities supporting the sensory loss community too.
Jane Davies, Senior Manager Safeguarding and Commissioning at Flintshire County Council said:
“We are delighted to have DSN onboard and we welcome their fresh approach to delivering sensory loss services to the people of Flintshire. Their innovative approach really impressed us from the beginning and we are looking forward to working with Bob and his team over the coming months and years.”
