Service Handbook.pdf

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust's Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service Handbook provides support to children and young people with speech, language, communication, and eating, drinking, and swallowing needs. The service offers three waves of intervention: Universal, Targeted, and Specific. The Universal offer provides families and settings with knowledge and resources to support communication and eating, drinking, and swallowing needs without requiring a referral. Targeted support focuses on evidence-based training workshops and short-term individual or group interventions. The Specific wave of support includes longer-term or more frequent, outcome-focused, evidence-based group and individual interventions. The service uses indicators such as immediate risk of harm, severity of need, and likelihood of positive change to make decisions about intervention. The team has access to interpreting services for parents and young people with English as an additional language. The service is divided into three main clinical teams: Early Years Complex Needs, Community Clinics and Mainstream Settings, and Special Schools and Outreach. The service provides various resources, including a Facebook page, website, and Advice Line, to support families and settings. The Advice Line is available to parents, carers, and professionals to seek support and guidance. The Early Years Complex Needs Team works with families and settings to provide detailed assessments, training packages, coaching, and interventions to support the development of speech, language, and communication skills. The team also provides support for children with complex eating, drinking, and swallowing needs, including multiple assessments, specific liaison with families and settings, and onward referrals. The service offers various training packages, including AAC communication support, Makaton, and PECS, to support families and settings.