A UNIQUE service which helps dozens of deaf and hard of hearing children in Waltham Forest and Redbridge is under threat due to council plans to evict it from a children's centre, it is claimed.
The 'East 17' project has been running for nearly ten years at Chapel End Early Years Centre in Brookscroft Road, Walthamstow, and is thought to be the only unit of its kind in the country.
It provides comprehensive, free support for more than 100 babies and toddlers aged up to five and their families, and is jointly funded by Waltham Forest and Redbridge councils, along with Whipps Cross NHS Trust.
But staff and parents received a shock two weeks ago when the service was sent a letter from Waltham Forest Council ordering it to move out of the children's centre by July.
It is believed the authority wants to use the building for extra classrooms to help alleviate the borough's school place shortage.
Susan Cordwell, a parent support co-ordinator at East 17, said: “The local authority has told us it will look for other premises for us but we don't know how serious they are or what they are going to come up with.
“We have to be somewhere that is easily accessible for families in both Waltham Forest and Redbridge and we have a lot of specialist equipment and specially adapted rooms, such as an audiology room, which can't easily be replaced.”
Parents fear that the council's apparent lack of a firm commitment to relocate the service could mean it may be forced to downsize or close altogether.
Iffat Yusaf, 42, of The Drive in Gants Hill, said the support offered to her and her five-year-old son with help such as free sign language lessons had been “vital”.
She said: “I don't know what I would have done without it.
"As a parent, when you find out your child is deaf, it is a shock. I didn't know anything about deafness but I was given so much support and information.
"But it's not just the initial shock you need help with. There are many other things along the way and it's really important to get that support as they're growing up.”
Parent Jane Housden, 36, of Burnham Road in Chingford, said: “When I first found out that my daughter was deaf I researched services for affected families and the nearest one which was anything like this was in Portsmouth.
“It's so important for families to meet others in a similar situation because most deaf children are born to hearing parents. You really need support and it would be a disaster if this was taken away.”
Mum-of-one Cassandra Williams, 27, of Chingford Road in Walthamstow, said: “I'm very worried.
"With all the budget cuts it is a concern that once the service is moved out of here there won't be anywhere else locally for it to go.”
Sarah Butler, 39, of Bedford Road in South Woodford, receives support for her four-year-old daughter.
She said: “Without the help my family has received I think we would have felt very isolated.
"It would be awful if other new parents were denied the kind of support we have had.”
Waltham Forest Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Cllr Saima Mahmud, said: "The council is facing enormous demand for school places and is looking at all accommodation in school buildings in order to meet this demand.
"We are currently trying to find suitable alternative accommodation for the East 17 service which meets their needs.
"We are working closely with the organisation in order to do so and we will keep them fully informed of the progress we make."
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