Who are NHS speech and language therapists (SLTs)?
Speech and language therapists in the NHS
work with children and young people and
their families who have speech, language
and communication needs. We may also
help children who have eating and drinking
difficulties. We also work with other
professionals involved in their care.
We help children who have:
• Difficulty understanding language
• Difficulty using language
• Difficulty producing sounds
• Difficulty with social communication
and interaction
• A stammer.
• provide clinically appropriate treatment
to meet the current needs of children
and their parents or carers;
• support children and their family to use
strategies at home;
• train parents, carers, teachers and other
professionals to use strategies and carry
out supporting activities – this might
be individually in person, or via our
workshops;
• provide early intervention and advice;
• make developing speech, language,
communication fun and everyone’s
responsibility.
We see children for “episodes of care”.
We will assess the child to build up a picture
of their skills. We do this by talking to parents/
carers and using books, pictures, toys and
games.
We then decide what help the child needs.
We will put in place some activities and
advice to help the child. If necessary we
will show the people involved with the child
(parents / carers / school or nursery staff)
how to complete these activities and advice.
We will discharge the child when everyone
knows how to follow the advice and support
the child in all environments.
At discharge we will tell you if and when you
need to come back and see us again for
another “episode of care”.
As speech and language therapists in the
NHS we work closely with other agencies
and professionals to help children reach
their communication potential. People we
work with include doctors, teachers and
other educational staff, psychologists,
physiotherapists and occupational therapists,
dieticians, school nurses, health visitors and
social workers just to name a few.
We work in a variety of settings including:
• community clinics
• schools and early years settings
• nursery, family centres and homes
• hospital.
If you need a new referral to NHS Speech
and Language Therapy, you can complete a
referral using our online referral form.
It might be helpful for you to ask your child’s
teacher / health visitor or other professionals
to help you complete the form so that we get
as much information as possible about the
help your child might need.
information for parents, carers and other
professionals about different types of
communication needs and local SEND
services:
• NHS speech and language therapy
https://www.blackpoolteachinghospitals.
nhs.uk/services/childrens-speech-andlanguage-
therapy
• Royal College of Speech and
Language Therapists www.rcslt.org
• Speech and Language UK
www.speechandlanguage.org.uk
• STAMMA
www.stamma.org
• Michael Palin Centre for Stammering
www.stammeringcentre.org
• Afasic (Info about communication
needs) www.afasic.org.uk
• Tiny Happy People
www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people
• Makaton (info about Makaton signs)
www.makaton.og
• The Hanen Centre www.hanen.org
• Blackpool Local Offer for SEND
www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/
Education-and-schools/Local-offer/
Local-offer-home.aspx
• Lancashire Local Offer for SEND
www.lancashire.gov.uk/childreneducation-
families/special-educationalneeds-
and-disabilities/
