Home

Engagement update – July 24, 2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in the public engagement. We are pleased to share that all input has been summarized into a What We Learned Report available in both English and ASL.

Engagement update – June 22, 2026  

From February to April 2026, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and Province of B.C.’s Citizen Engagement team asked families and interested parties for input about Early Language Services in B.C. for children who are Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing, ages 0-5, and their families. The scope of this engagement is focused on MCFD-contracted early language/ early intervention services that families may access after their child is identified with a hearing difference or as Deaf or hard of hearing. 

The Ministry of Citizens’ Services is drafting a “What We Learned” report from data collected through 1:1 parent/guardian interviews; focus groups with early language professionals, service providers, Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing representatives and allies; and an online survey. They are finalizing the report and will release it soon. Early findings show unresolved tensions about services. These require more discussion. 

Spur Communication is the third-party facilitator that led the spring focus groups. The Ministries have asked Spur to convene a Technical Advisory Group that will meet for one all-day summit in July. This meeting: 

• Will identify the most important unresolved tensions about services  
• Will invite participants to discuss unresolved tensions with others who share their perspectives. Participants will also consider and respond to people with different perspectives 
• Will identify areas of consensus among diverse participant views. When consensus is not possible, we will document guiding principles that participants believe should be considered 
• Will not repeat the same questions we discussed in previous engagement activities. 

Spur will be inviting Early language professionals, service providers, Deaf and hard of hearing individuals and representatives to join the TAG. Specific invitations will be sent to represent diverse perspectives on the unresolved tensions about early language services. 

After the summit, a report summarizing the outcomes will be shared with participants and published on the engagement website.  

Summary of Engagement – February 9 to April 3, 2026

Who was this engagement for? 

• Parents and/or guardians of Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing child(ren) across the province who have received or needed early intervention/early language services, within the last 10 years (note: early intervention services specific to children ages 0 to 5 years with a hearing difference.)  
• Early language/early years professionals and service providers that work with children across the spectrum of hearing differences(s) and their families.  
• Representatives from Deaf, Deafblind and hard of hearing community
• Other interested parties

Next steps

We will analyze input from this engagement and publish an Engagement Summary Report in 2026. This engagement will inform the development of early years services and service delivery practices, contracted though the MCFD service agreement, for children ages 0 to 5 with hearing differences, and their families, in B.C.