Welcome to DALES, providing support services for adults aged 18+ living in Leeds who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind.
DALES is funded by Leeds City Council and is delivered by BID Services, with support from SENSE and SignHealth.
The site has been developed to help you understand more about the services delivered by DALES.
DALES is committed to providing a high quality service which meets the needs of Leeds Service users affected by deafness. In particular, the service will focus on improving health and emotional well-being, making a positive contribution, increasing choice and control, taking action to ensure freedom from discrimination or harassment, improving economic wellbeing and maintaining personal dignity and respect.
If you would like more information about the services provided, have a look around this website or contact us.
Supporting Leeds in Deaf Engagement
DALES is a service for adults living in Leeds who are aged 18+ and are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind.
The new services becomes operational on the 13th June, 2011, and is being managed by BID Services, a charity that works with Deaf, Deafened, Hard of Hearing and physically and sensory disabled people across the UK. The services will be delivered with Sense, a leading national charity supporting children and adults who are deafblind and Signhealth, a charity supporting deaf people with a focus on mental and physical healthcare.
The aim of the service is to provide a high quality community based service which meets the needs of Leeds service users affected by deafness.
Access to the service is through a single point of access (SPA). The SPA provides users with a fast and easy route to obtaining the support they need.
DALES is funded by Leeds City Council – Adult Social Care.
DALES is a new single service, delivered across Leeds, which aims to support adults aged 18+ who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind, and whose hearing loss causes difficulty for independent living.
DALES provides a range of support services including:
• Initial and needs led assessments
• Support planning and reviews
• Access to relevant Advocacy Services
• Drop in facilities (Single Point of Access)
• Assistive technology/equipment assessments
• Access to mental health and wellbeing support
• Community development and outreach service
• Support with the personalisation agenda
• Support to access recreation and leisure facilities
• Provide/develop volunteer/mentoring programmes
DALES is delivered by BID Services, in partnership with Sense and Signhealth. Through our collaborative approach, we are able to provide a unique blend of skills and expertise. Our aim is to create opportunities for adults in Leeds and to work closely with our service users to provide the highest quality care to enable them to lead fuller lives.
BID Services has been working in partnership with deaf people and other communities since 1872 and offers a range of specialist support services for the Deaf, Deafened, Deafblind, Hard of Hearing and those with physical, sensory and learning disabilities. BID Services holds Supporting People Accreditation with a number of local authorities and is a registered provider with the Care Quality Commission. BID Services has achieved Investors in People and the Quality Standard ISO9001, and has also achieved the Investors in Volunteers Award.
BID Services also operates the UK’s first Deaf Cultural Centre, supporting a range of community and leisure activities.
Sense is the leading national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. They provide expert advice and information as well as specialist services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. They also support people who have sensory impairments with additional disabilities.
Signhealth has been working for over 20 years to improve the health of deaf people. Signhealth now cover all aspects of health and are currently engaged in a range of activities focused on generating change and improvements in healthcare for deaf people. Their services include advocacy, housing projects, research, counselling and outreach services.
The following frequently asked questions have been included following consultation with our service users.
Why is the service changing?
Leeds City Council undertook extensive consultation with more than 350 service users and the results highlighted the need to update the way that support was provided to people with hearing impairments. Leeds City Council wanted a Deaf and Hard of Hearing service that would provide activities and opportunities to help people get the most out of what is on offer in their local communities, the city of Leeds and beyond.
Why is it necessary to complete a comprehensive assessment?
• To collate information about a client
• To make sure referrals meet Supporting People criteria
• To create an overview for the provider of what needs to be included on the client's support plan.
What happens once an assessment has been completed?
Once an assessment has been carried out, support will be offered. This could be delivered through BID Services, Sense or Signhealth. Clients will be advised.
Why did you award the contract to an organisation based in Birmingham?
BID Services are a UK registered charity that that have been working with deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and physically and sensory disabled people across the UK since 1872. They have a long, successful history of service delivery and currently provide a similar service in Birmingham to the one specified in Leeds.
We are based at:
DALES
BID Services
9th floor,
Minerva House
29 East Parade
Leeds
LS1 5PS
If you would like to make a referral or wish to contact us, you can get in touch with us in a number of ways:
Telephone: 0113 288 5750
Textphone: 0113 288 5758
Fax: 0113 288 5759
Email: Dales@bid.org.uk
DALES opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9am until 5pm, Friday from 9am until 4:30pm.
Drop in times for Equipment assessments and advice are held every Tuesday and Thursday at the DALES office from 10am - 12:30pm and 1:30pm - 4pm.
For further information, please contact Tracy Billham via email tracy.billham@bid.org.uk or text on 07702 940888
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Hearing Aid Clinic
The Hearing Aid Clinic is open on the first Thursday of every month at 1:30pm and will be at:
This event will be at:
DALES
9th floor,
Minerva House
29 East Parade
Leeds
LS1 5PS
For further information, please contact Tracy Billham via email tracy.billham@bid.org.uk or text on 07702 940888
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Leeds Hard of Hearing Forum
This is a group for hearing impaired people, their family and friends.
They meet at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, in the Priestley Room, on the first Thursday of the month, at 7:30pm.
The activities of the group take place in a relaxed, stress-free environment using a loop system, and share useful information for hearing impaired people.
There are speakers, outings and social occasions including theatre visits with captioned performances. Some of the activities include campaigning for a better life for hearing impaired people and they have links with Action on Hearing Loss (formerly RNID)
For further information, get into touch with us via telephone: 0113 2885750 or email dales@bid.org.uk
What our members say:
"I have found friendship and support"
"Being part of the Forum has made me more assertive and less embarrassed about my hearing loss"
"Enjoying the theatre again with friends is paradise"
"You can talk about your experiences of deafness where people listen and understand"
"The outings as a group have enriched my life"
"I feel I am helping people to feel valued with my hearing loss"
Do you want to leave something lasting to contribute to the future of the Deaf community?
We understand you need to provide for your family and friends, but after you have taken care of your loved ones, you might consider leaving a legacy gift to DALES. Your legacy will help us continue our work and could support thousands of people with a hearing loss improve their quality of life.
For more information about leaving a legacy to DALES, please contact our office.
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