Other relevant policies and reports
There are numerous other pieces of legsilation, guidance and reports that are connected to mental health and deafness. This section contains just a few of the most relevant. Many are linked to social care. In many ways, social care has been far ahead of the NHS. It has been accepted for a long time that support for deaf people often needs to be specialised. Almost all social service departments have a 'Sensory Team'. These teams have, over the years, been very important in supporting deaf people in need of support. For many deaf people the Sensory Team is their main contact with statutory services. The social worker in the Sensory Team will often be the gatekeeper to other services.