Role of Speech and Language Therapy Services
Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) services are working as part of the wider system to achieve outcomes across the Balanced System’s five strands (Family support; Enabling environments; Workforce development; Identification of needs; and Intervention) and at all three levels (universal, targeted and specialist).
Find out more about the five strands and three levels on the Role of Schools and Settings page.
Key assumptions relating to levels of provision
- Children can access all levels of support as appropriate and may benefit from support at more than one level at a given time.
- For most children with SLCN, universal and targeted provision will be enough to meet their need, or if accessed easily will reduce the amount of specialist or individualised provision needed for them to achieve their best outcomes.
- Specialist level provisions may not be needed all the time and may be helpful at certain points on a child or young person's journey.
- Where specialist provision is needed, this is in addition to the universal and targeted provision they will be accessing
What SLT services do
This image describes some of the activities that SLT services will undertake to help achieve outcomes across the Balanced System’s five strands.
The Balanced System® SLT Service Activities (PDF, 153.2 KB)
What difference will children, young people and their families see?
In the Early Years (from birth to school):
The option of speaking directly to a speech and language therapist in a local session to get advice or arrange for more detailed assessment or support
Outcome: Quicker access to the right advice and/or suitable activities available locally that can provide opportunities for children to develop their understanding, talking and communication. For many this will be enough but if not, the outcome will be quicker access to more detailed assessment and support.
School age:
The school SENCO will have regular visits from the Link Speech and Language Therapist who will be able to discuss children and young people and decide with the school and the family (or young person) the best course of action.
Outcome: Quicker access to the right advice and support at school, and access to more detailed assessment and support as appropriate.
Core Delivery Principles for Change
The core delivery principles for change are based on the five key elements that typically need to develop to enable a local system to meet the Balanced System® outcomes. Speech and Language Therapy services are supporting these changes in the following ways:
1. Focus on functional outcomes and measures of impact:
SLT services are working to ensure that what matters most to the child and their family is at the centre of agreeing outcomes and setting targets.
In collaboration with families and schools the services will be reporting on outcomes by focusing on the difference their support is making.
2. Simple and easy access to the right information, assessment and support:
SLT services are supporting professionals in the wider workforce to have the knowledge and skills to be able to identify SLCN and provide a level of support that is appropriate within their role.
They are offering 'Talking Walk-in' drop ins for pre-school children so families can have quick and easy access to advice and support from a speech and language therapist if they have concerns about the child's speech, language or communication. Most families who need to access SLT services will do so through this route.
In schools, a link therapist will be a single point of contact to plan support for SLCN across the school as well as provide intervention for children in school as appropriate.
3. Support is delivered in the most functionally appropriate and relevant place for the child or young person:
SLT services will aim to have a much bigger presence in early years' settings, schools, family hubs and other places where children and young people spend their time.
Each Primary and Secondary school has a link therapist who will build a relationship with them and ensure that support is tailored to the school's context.
SLT staffing will be allocated based on need and so the offer may differ in nature or volume (e.g. time offered to schools).
4. Build the targeted offer as part of the continuum of support:
SLT services will invest a significant proportion of time into the development and quality assurance of universal and targeted provisions across the Five Strands of the Balanced System® in partnership with the wider system. This will include providing training and coaching support to the wider workforce. They will work closely with key partners within health and education services to develop the targeted offer.
For example, SLTs have been closely involved with the development of targeted SLCN interventions in Family Hubs such as ‘Little Talkers’, ‘The Communication Tree’ and the ELIM Package of Care. Some targeted interventions will be delivered by the SLTs working with key partners.
5. High quality, accessible and consistent information and advice:
SLT services will commit to ensuring information provided will enable parents, carers and professionals to be well informed. They will be involved in quality assurance for information and advice provided by partners such as Family Hubs. They will engage with groups of parents to help us develop and improve the offer.