The Children's Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) services aim to help your child to communicate to the best of their ability.
The East Cheshire Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) service supports children and young people 0–16 years old, who have speech, language and communication difficulties and/ or feeding and swallowing difficulties. In order to access the service, clients must have a GP within the geographical area covered by East Cheshire NHS Trust.
Speech, language and communication needs might include problems with making speech sounds, understanding and using language, stammering, voice (persistent hoarseness), social interaction skills, feeding and swallowing difficulties.
The Speech and Language Therapist will assess the child/ young person's strengths and needs. The therapist will sometimes use a formal standardised assessment but may also use informal assessments i.e. observation to inform the decision making on the best way to support and develop the child/ young person’s communications skills. They will then provide advice, intervention and training if this is seen to be appropriate. The Speech and Language Therapist will work closely with parents/ carers’; discussing the child’s needs and provide coaching on ways in which to practise activities at home with their child.
The Speech and Language Therapist will work collaboratively with other professions; teachers, support assistants, nursery staff or others who the child has regular contact or support from. The Speech and Language Therapist will discuss the child/ young person’s needs to help others understand the nature of the difficulties and provide them with ideas and strategies to help promote and maximise his/ her communication skills.
How to contact us:
Paediatric Therapy Services, Pavilion House, Pavilion Way, Macclesfield, SK10 3LU
Tel: 01625 661881
Email: ecn-tr.pavilionhousepaedstherapies@nhs.net
Support and Resources Available
- Early Years SALT referral checklist
- East Cheshire NHS Children's Speech and Language Therapy Facebook click here.
- East Cheshire Local Offer click here.
- East Cheshire has published their 0-5 pathway for children with speech, language, and communication needs. This sets out the support available to families and educational settings. In most cases, this support should be in place before a referral to speech and language therapy is made Communication and Language (cheshireeast.gov.uk)
- There are a number of charities and organisations that provide information and support for children with speech, language, and communication needs. If you are concerned about your child stammering you can find support here Welcome to Stamma | STAMMA’. For general information about speech and language visit Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives or Home - Afasic. Please note that the trust is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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Welcom - assessment and follow up activities
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Early Help Team (if appropriate)
- Cheshire East Chatters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheshireeastchatters/
- East Cheshire NHS Children's Speech and Language Therapy Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Speech-Pathologist/East-Cheshire-NHS-Childrens-Speech-and-Language-Therapy-102473308063856/
- East Cheshire Local Offer: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/livewell/local-offer-for-children-with-sen-and-disabilities/local-offer-for-children-with-sen-and-disabilities.aspx
- School Liaison Service (SLS) – a termly contact with a departmental therapist who will discuss any children you may have concerns about and provide immediate advice and support
- Free training for supporting children with a variety of Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN) – please see our Eventbrite page for available training https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/east-cheshire-nhs-childrens-speech-and-language-34125214993
- Cheshire East Autism Team (if appropriate) https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/livewell/local-offer-for-children-with-sen-and-disabilities/education/supporting-send-in-education/pupils-with-asc/autism.aspx
- In-school targeted interventions, for example language enrichment groups. Some commercially available programmes such as Talk Boost (from ICAN) or ELKLAN have been purchased by schools, or similar programmes (such as narrative therapy groups) have been demonstrated by the department previously. Many settings have been trained in these approaches in the past and the resources may still be available in school.
- Advice and a progress checker is available at https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/ with detailed advice and support
- East Cheshire Local Offer: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/livewell/local-offer-for-children-with-sen-and-disabilities/local-offer-for-children-with-sen-and-disabilities.aspx
- If a child is due for a review in clinic we may send a school feedback form to be completed. Please fill in the form and return to the family so it can be brought to the next appointment. If the concerns are primarily educational it is crucial that we have this information to inform us about how the child is functioning in school.
- General advice given to the family (e.g. Tiny Happy People)
- Home Talk (if appropriate)
- Welcomm
- Signpost family to East Cheshire NHS Children's Speech and Language Therapy Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Speech-Pathologist/East-Cheshire-NHS-Childrens-Speech-and-Language-Therapy-102473308063856/
- Children can experience a wide range of difficulties with speech, language, and communication. You may find these advice sheets helpful for your child. Please note that this does not replace an assessment with a clinician and is included for general information only. Additional advice and resources are available via our Facebook page.
- Helping Children with Speech Sounds
- Stammering in School-aged Children
- Stammering in Teenagers
- Bilingualism
- Early Language Strategies June 2020
Referral Forms
If you are making a communication and a feeding and swallowing referral, you will need to complete both of the forms below.
Please complete this form if you are a parent/guardian or a health professional.
Please attach relevant clinical letters.
What happens next?
- A clinician will review the referral and decide if it meets our service criteria.
- If the referral does not meet the criteria or there is information missing the referral will be rejected and the person who made the referral will be notified.
- All referrals will be rejected if parental consent is not evident.
Communication referrals
- If the referral is accepted the child will be placed on a waiting list for an initial assessment. Once the child is at the top of the list the family will be sent an ‘opt in’ letter. This will ask them to call to book an appointment and they will be given a choice of days/times/locations. The family can choose what is most convenient for them.
- If the family does not opt in within the specified timeframe the child will be discharged and you will be informed.
Feeding and swallowing referrals
- Once accepted the referral will be triaged and an appointment will be made based on the urgency of the referral.
Please note that if an appointment is made but the family do not attend the child will be discharged. If you have any questions please call 01625 661881.
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