ONE year on from the official roll out of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP), and every child in England is now screened for deafness as soon as they are born. The test ensures that hearing loss and impairment is identified on average two years earlier than previous methods.

As early intervention is known to be vitally important for the development of all deaf children, this test in itself is a cause for celebration.

A year on, however, and the question of what happens after a child is identified as deaf still looms large. The reality of the situation is far from ideal. Too many parents are discovering that while their child might well be identified as deaf as soon as they are born, the support they then need is sorely lacking. As arguments with local authorities about entitlements persist, deaf children's communication development is put on hold, and vital time is lost.

Having invested in NHSP the Government must now ensure that the full range of essential support services is available to every family. The Government's National Action Plan on Audiology, launched last week, does not contain a single section on children's services. This is a gaping hole in the so-called "national" action plan.

For the futures of the 35,000 deaf children in the UK, and the three babies born deaf every day, the Government must commit to deliver a more supportive service, where the need for information by parents is the first priority immediately after the identification of deafness.

The new screening programme is a fantastic service, but it is only the start.

Susan Daniels, Chief executive, National Deaf Children's Society, Dufferin Street, London.