National Deaf Children's Society

What National Deaf Children's Society does

The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) is the only UK-wide charity dedicated solely to supporting deaf children and young people with any level of hearing loss and any communication preference, including British Sign Language users. Founded in 1944 and headquartered in London, NDCS provides a national helpline (with SignVideo BSL access), a network of local support groups, a membership programme, free downloadable resources, a paid bookshop for families and professionals, deaf awareness training, and safeguarding guidance. The charity campaigns on policy issues affecting deaf children and publishes research on childhood deafness outcomes. It runs an international development arm, Deaf Child Worldwide, which has operated for nearly 25 years in low- and middle-income countries across South Asia, East Africa, and Latin America, advising governments on newborn hearing screening and early intervention.

NDCS is a company limited by guarantee (Company No. 02752456) and a registered charity in England & Wales (1016532) and Scotland (SC040779), governed by a board of trustees. It operates a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary, N.D.C.S. Limited, which channels 100% of its profits to the charitable mission. The organization's technology footprint is modest and mission-oriented: a Shopify-powered bookshop, a WCAG 2.2 Level AA-compliant website with BSL video content, a Firebase-backed mobile app for anonymized analytics, and an online learning platform (learn-about.ndcs.org.uk). In February 2026 NDCS announced a strategic partnership with Hasbro to develop a Peppa Pig storyline in which George Pig is diagnosed as moderately deaf, extending the charity's reach into mainstream children's entertainment and education.

The revenue model is predominantly donation-based. NDCS raises funds through individual giving (one-time and monthly donations), high-profile fundraising events such as the TCS London Marathon, do-it-yourself fundraising, corporate partnerships, volunteer-led activities, and a recurring membership programme. Bookshop sales on Shopify and free resource downloads contribute marginally. The current senior leadership comprises CEO George Crockford (appointed September 2025), CFO/Deputy CEO Jane Foreman (with the charity since 1999), COO Maria Chambers, CIO Jon Curry (the first CIO, recruited 2023), Chief Strategy Officer Debbie Talbot, and Chief Revenue Officer Mike Wade, under whose tenure since 2008 annual income grew from approximately £13 million to nearly £35 million. The organization employs 251-500 people and operates under the 'Every Moment Counts' 2023-2028 strategy.

Name

National Deaf Children's Society

Legal name

National Deaf Children's Society

Website

https://ndcs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

National Deaf Children's Society is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to supporting deaf children and young people with any level of hearing loss, delivering a national helpline, local support groups, education resources, and policy advocacy across the UK and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Services for Deaf Children

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF), Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD)

Keywords

• Deaf children support
• Childhood hearing loss
• British Sign Language
• Deaf awareness training
• Newborn hearing screening

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and fundraising: The charity raises funds through individual donations (one-time and monthly), fundraising events (including high-profile events like the TCS London Marathon), corporate partnerships, and volunteer-driven fundraising activities. A subsidiary company, N.D.C.S. Limited, operates to support fundraising and promotional activities with 100% of profits going to support the charitable mission.
2. Membership and bookshop: Revenue is also generated through membership programs and the NDCS bookshop (operated on Shopify), which sells books and free resources about childhood deafness for families, deaf children, young people, and professionals who support them.
3. Income growth strategy: The charity's strategic plan includes growing and diversifying income as a core financial enabler, with a specific objective to increase expenditure on deaf children while managing general reserves through planned expenditure and investment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Deaf Children's Society is a UK charity that provides free advice, support, and resources to deaf children and their families, including a national helpline, local support groups, BSL information, an online bookshop, and deaf awareness education. Its international arm, Deaf Child Worldwide, works with governments and NGOs in low- and middle-income countries to set up sustainable newborn hearing screening and early intervention programmes.

Product overview

The National Deaf Children's Society is a charity offering a comprehensive suite of services for deaf children with any level of hearing loss. The core offerings include a Helpline, Local Support Groups, and Membership services. The organization operates an e-commerce Bookshop on Shopify for books and resources, provides British Sign Language information via SignVideo, and delivers educational content including deaf awareness resources for schools and early years settings. The charity also runs an international programme called Deaf Child Worldwide focused on early hearing screening in developing countries, and has partnered with Hasbro to develop the Peppa Pig George hearing storyline. The organization publishes international research on childhood deafness and operates under the Every Moment Counts 2023-2028 strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deaf Child Worldwide: International development arm of the National Deaf Children's Society, focusing on working with low- and middle-income countries to set up sustainable newborn hearing screening and early intervention programmes.

Products and services

• Helpline
• Local Support Groups
• Bookshop
• Membership
• Deaf Child Worldwide
• Deaf Awareness Resources and Training
• British Sign Language (BSL) Information and Access
• George and Peppa's Deaf Awareness Resources
• International Research Publications
• Every Moment Counts Strategy 2023-2028

Quantifiable outcome

• Universal newborn hearing screening introduced with NDCS support in 2006 reduced the average age of diagnosis from 1.5-3.5 years to just 106 days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hasbro / Peppa PigcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026The National Deaf Children's Society partnered with Hasbro to develop a new Peppa Pig storyline in which George Pig is diagnosed as moderately deaf and receives a hearing aid. NDCS consulted with Hasbro to ensure the storyline authentically reflects the lived experience of deaf children and their families in the UK. The storyline aims to normalize hearing loss, raise deaf awareness among mainstream audiences, and highlight signs of childhood deafness that may otherwise go unrecognized. The partnership was announced in February 2026.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): UK's largest charity for blind and partially sighted people. Sister UK disability charity of comparable operational scale, governance structure, and advocacy/helpline/retail model — relevant operational peer.
• Sense UK: UK charity supporting people with complex disabilities including deafblindness. A comparable UK disability charity of similar scale and structure competing for overlapping corporate, trust, and government funding.
• Hearing Loss Association of America: Largest US consumer organization for people with hearing loss, covering all ages. Operates as a broader-incumbent in the same deaf/hearing-loss support space as NDCS but with a wider age and communication-mode mandate.

Direct peers

• AG Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: International nonprofit focused on listening and spoken language for deaf and hard of hearing children, including the Alexander Graham Bell network of schools. Closely comparable to NDCS in serving deaf children but with a specific listening-and-spoken-language methodology.
• RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People): UK's largest charity for people with hearing loss (formerly Action on Hearing Loss). Closest direct peer — same geography, overlapping mission of supporting deaf and hard of hearing people, similar fundraising and helpline delivery model, and competes for the same donor and government funding pools.
• Hands & Voices: US-based nonprofit organization for families of deaf and hard of hearing children, providing parent-to-parent support, guidance, and advocacy. Direct functional peer to NDCS's family support and local support group model.
• British Deaf Association: UK's leading membership organization led by deaf people, focused on British Sign Language, Deaf culture, and community advocacy. Direct peer in the UK deaf space with overlapping cultural, advocacy, and BSL-focused work.
• American Society for Deaf Children: US-based national nonprofit specifically supporting deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. Closest international functional peer — same narrow child-focused mission, family support, advocacy, and educational resources model as NDCS.
• National Association of the Deaf (US): US civil rights organization of, by, and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Functions as NDCS's cross-Atlantic equivalent for advocacy, policy campaigns, and community-building for the deaf community.

Regional players

• Hearing Dogs for Deaf People: UK charity that trains dogs to assist deaf people, with an established helpline, volunteer network, and fundraising apparatus. Smaller UK peer operating in an adjacent niche of the deaf-support ecosystem and competing for some of the same corporate donors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ndcswebteam
• Facebookfacebook.com/NDCS.UK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ndcs
• Instagraminstagram.com/ndcs_uk
• TikToktiktok.com/@ndcs_uk
• Xx.com/NDCS_UK

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Deaf Children's Society