11th Sharing The News (Gwen Carr): Communicating Effectively with Families At and Around the Time of Early Identification of Deafness

11th Sharing The News (Gwen Carr): Communicating Effectively with Families At and Around the Time of Early Identification of Deafness is organized by Anne Davies Audiology Courses and will be held from Mar 10 - 11, 2026 at Novotel Manchester Centre, Manchester, England, United Kingdom.

Description:
This unique, family centred, and highly regarded course is led by Gwen Carr, working with experienced professional actors. The course, in its 21st year, is the only course specifically tailored to childhood deafness. It is informed by research in the field and by the lived experience of parents of deaf children in the UK and internationally.

How news of deafness is communicated and information is shared can have a significant and enduring impact on families in terms of their adjustment to their baby’s diagnosis, their engagement and involvement with services, and child and family wellbeing.

The course is designed for professionals who are involved with families at the time of early identification of deafness and follow-up. The course is highly interactive, and includes face-to-face experiential practice with professional actors as well as opportunity to hear and discuss real family experiences.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the programme, delegates will have:

• An understanding of the importance of effective communication with parents / families of early identified deaf children, from an evidence-based perspective.
• An understanding of the key elements of effective listening and information sharing in clinical encounters.
• An appreciation of how different emotional states affect how people receive and process information and the varied ways in which parents adjust to their baby’s diagnosis.
• Developed and practised strategies and skills for effective and responsive communication in challenging situations, working in group settings with experienced professional actors.
• Heard and discussed parents’ experiences of their screening and diagnostic journeys.

Course content:
Impact of communication on parents
An overview of the underpinning research and evidence base.

Parental perceptions and reflections on their screening and diagnostic experiences
This interactive session uses video footage of parents of young deaf children who have received their services within the screening to early intervention pathway in the UK context.

Effective Communication: Skills and Techniques Part 1
This session involves working with the acting team in large and small groups to explore and practise a number of different techniques which can affect how communication and information sharing is both expressed and received, looking at active listening, body language, congruence and appreciative disagreement.

‘Forum Theatre’ Session
Forum theatre is a facilitated group activity whereby the actor-coaches present / role play a scenario and invite discussion. The scenario is shown twice, with the ‘replay’ being open to the active input of the group to make comment and give direction to affect the situation and enable a different outcome.

Effective Communication: Skills and Techniques Part 2
Building on the earlier activities, this session focuses on how to establish genuine rapport with families and to ask ‘good’ questions which elicit information to help the relationship and positive understanding and management of child and family needs moving forward.

Personal Construing
This session explores the issue of personal construct – how we make sense of and interpret events as they confront us. It examines how the personal beliefs and experiences of people in any encounter can affect their understanding of it and affect how it progresses – both positively and negatively. The technique is applied specifically to the context of audiological and family support practice.

Active Practice group work
Active Practice involves using the skills and techniques focused on in the first day of the course to work with the actor-coaches in small groups to explore different clinical scenarios from real life practice. The sessions allow the participants to take forward the learning from Forum theatre, put it into practice in small group settings and receive feedback and coaching from the actors in their roles as parents and family members. Active practice is always undertaken in a confidential, safe, positive and mutually supportive context.

Personal Learning Commitments
Looking back and looking forward: implementing effective communication skills in your clinical practice.

What do parents say they want and need?
Outcomes from research with parents and parent-led policy initiatives.