Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) referral information for professionals

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The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) service is provided by Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH).

The service provide assessment for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs and/or problems with eating, drinking, and swallowing. Following diagnosis, the service may provide therapy for children and young people whose difficulties have a significant impact on their functional, everyday communication skills.

The aim is to make sure that children and young people reach their speech, language and communication potential, whatever their level of ability and preferred communication method.

The service is delivered on the principle that all children and young people’s communication skills are best developed through interaction with the people who are most familiar with the children and young people, and in their everyday situations and environments. There is also a strong focus on early identification and intervention.

Team members work collaboratively with parents and carers, as well as education, early years, and health colleagues. They provide training and advice for parents/carers and key staff, and work alongside others in the children’s workforce to create communication supportive environments and to support individual children. This is to ensure a whole system approach to meeting speech, language and communication needs. 

The service works on the principle that the speech and language needs of children and young people should be met through a whole system of support. In line with this approach, a key role of Speech and Language Therapists (SLT) is to develop the skills and capacity of the wider children’s workforce, as well as parents and carers, to support children’s speech, language and communication. The speech and language needs of most children can be met within this whole system approach, without a need for referral and direct therapy. However, some children will have additional needs that make referral to a specialist SLT services necessary.

When a child or young person is referred, the Speech and Language Therapist assessing the individual’s needs will make specific recommendations about interventions to achieve the best outcomes. SLTs work in collaboration with children and young people, as well as parents/carers and school staff, giving choices about types of support where appropriate.

Parent/carer involvement is essential to SLT assessment and ongoing care, and therapists use interpreters to support families where needed. Parents/carers are provided with written reports after assessment, and annually if appropriate, which details their child’s strengths and needs and outlines the plan of care that has been agreed for the child.

Children, young people and families are asked to comment on their experience of the service, so that it can continue to improve.

Contact details: 

Who to contact: Speech and Language Therapy Service

Telephone: 020 8102 4009

Where to go:

Speech and Language Therapy Service
Parsons Green Centre
London
SW6 4AA

Early Years service

Please click here to download a leaflet about the Early Years SLT service.

This service is available to preschool children (0 - 5 years), who have problems with their speech, language and communication, or with eating and drinking. All children who live in Kensington and Chelsea or have a GP in the borough can access this service.

The service mostly takes place in clinics, children’s centres, nurseries and nursery classes attached to schools. Support provided includes assessment of needs, group and individual therapy for children, and training and collaborating with parents, carers, and staff involved in the child's care. The focus in early years is on prevention of communication concerns and on early identification and support of needs.

In addition, therapists support early year’s practitioners to ensure that children’s centres and nurseries/schools can also help develop children’s speech, language and communication. This is achieved by training staff, sharing resources such as language enriching activities, and ensuring the child’s environment promotes language and communication.

The SLT team have developed a new telephone advice service for practioners who would like any advice from an early years SLT; such as on interaction strategies, accessing training, creating communication supportive environments, and referrals. Further details, including dates and times when the service is taking place can be found here

A specialist feeding service is available to assess and support children who face difficulties with eating and drinking. When a feeding referral is received the Therapist will contact the family within two weeks. Support consists of advice and a programme, which is reviewed regularly.

Early Years referrals

SLT services run an open referral system for pre-school age children, so anyone can refer a child to the Early Years’ Service if there is a concern about their speech, language, communication, or swallowing. To make a referral, please complete a referral form and email it to CLCHT.chirp@nhs.net. Referral forms can be found below:

Children under 5 are usually seen within 8 weeks for initial assessment. Following initial assessment all parents / carers are invited to a SLT information session which gives the opportunity to explain what SLT is and how parents / carers can support their children’s communication. 

Schools service

Reception year

The service aims to ensure that the transition between the early years and schools service is seamless for children and their families. SLTs work collaboratively with school staff, and provide resources and advice, to ensure that they can help to meet these children’s needs within the school environment. For children who require specialist SLT support, the service provide direct input to support transition into school at reception age.

 


Year One and Above

The SLT service offers dedicated support to parents/carers and school staff to empower them to meet the speech, language and communication needs of all children with speech, language or communication needs. This includes providing advice, training, and information to school staff and parents/carers to help them with identifying and meeting speech and language needs through targeted support.

Therapists provide direct therapy for individual children with speech, language and communication needs in their Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plans during term time. All children in Mainstream Schools with eating and drinking needs will be supported by SLTs working in the Special Schools SLT team.

Beyond this, therapists work in partnership with school staff to develop strategies and deliver interventions for facilitating communication development for all children. This ensures that speech and language skills are fostered in classes and the wider school community.

Some schools also buy in additional Speech and Language Therapy whole-school training for staff or support time for students attending their schools. To find out more about what is happening in your child’s school to support them, please speak to their school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

Please click here to download the Bi-borough Mainstream Schools Speech and Language Therapy Service Local Offer.

School age referrals

Children and young people who are at school will need to be referred to the specialist SLT service by their GP. If a referral is required, please ask your GP to complete a referral form and email it to CLCHT.chirp@nhs.net. Referral forms can be found here.

Following receipt of a referral form, the child’s school will be asked to complete a teacher questionnaire with details of the impact of the child’s speech, language, or communication needs. When this information is received and reviewed, the child can access the SLT assessment and advice service if appropriate.

Children who are referred by their GP are generally seen in the school holidays.

Special Schools and Additional Resource Provisions

Within special schools and additional resource provisions, SLTs work as part of the school teams. The needs of students’ Education Health Care Plans are delivered in the school setting and Therapists work alongside class teams to support the development of communication skills within the whole school community. SLTs will work with school staff and families to support children with eating and drinking needs where this is required.

Out of Borough Schools

Children attending schools outside the borough will usually access therapy and other support at their school.  When this is not available, RBKC will work with the school’s borough to ensure a service is provided.

Independent/Private Schools

The service will assess children attending independent and private schools who are likely to have a significant need level of speech, language or communication need, as happens in state schools. Assessment appointments are offered during the school holidays. Additional support and training can be arranged in these settings should the school decide to purchase it.

Independent schools will be asked to demonstrate evidence of how they have tried to develop a child’s speech, language and communication, as we do for pupils in state schools.

 

Speech and Language (SALT) training courses for Practitioners

Page last reviewed: 25/02/2024

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