Resources to support children and young
people with SLCN in the development of the
Local Offer
There are one million children and young people in the UK with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN);
the most prevalent special educational need in primary-aged children. You will need to set out how you will support
these young people in your Local Offer. Below is a list of guidance, information and support, listed thematically, to
help you address you meet the needs of these young people within you Local Offer. This support and guidance is
provided by The Communication Trust and the nearly 50 expert specialist organisations that form our Consortium.
Find out more at www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk
Early identification of SLCN
 Universally Speaking- a series of booklets for anyone who works with children and young people which
show the ages and stages of communication from for each age range (0-18). Read them here
 Primary and Secondary milestone posters- an easy and eye-catching reference for teachers to understand
children's speech and language development from 4 to 18. Read them here- Primary / Secondary
Evidence-based interventions for children and young people with SLCN
 What Works- brings together for the first time evidenced interventions to support children's speech,
language and communication. Practitioners can find detailed descriptions of each intervention including a
summary of the level of evidence in order to support decision making. Access the database here
 Communication Supporting Classroom Observation Tool- developed as part of the Better Communication
Research Programme, the tool is designed to be used in an observation of a classroom or a learning space
by someone other than the adult working with the children. Download the tool here
Supporting schools to develop an effective School Offer
 Don't Get Me Wrong- for those who have some understanding of speech, language and communication
needs but would like to find out more. It's full of useful information and advice and is ideal for SENCOs and
teaching assistants. It can be downloaded here
 The Communication Commitment- launching in October 2013, the Commitment is a simple system to
develop a whole-school approach to communication in preparing for September 2014. It supports schools
to develop a personalised action plan, provides free resources and guidance and opportunities to learn
from other schools. It also signposts schools onto support from our specialist Consortium organisations.
 The Talk of the Town- an integrated, community led approach to supporting SLCN in areas of social
deprivation where 50% of children are starting school with poor language. Find out how this systematic
approach, supported by the Education Endowment Foundation, can deliver better outcomes for young
people in your local authority here
 A Generation Adrift– makes the case for case for speech, language and communication to take a central
role in schools’ policy and practice for schools and brings together the latest evidence, policy and practical
solutions. Access the document here
Youth Justice
 Sentence Trouble- the Youth Justice programme aims to support all those that work in the youth justice
sector to better support the 60% of young people in the youth justice system who have speech, language
and communication needs. Find out more here
Effective joint commissioning
 Better Communication: Shaping Speech, Language and Communication Services for Children and Young
People- explains approaches across budgets, professional disciplines and localities. Find out from Royal
College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and Jean Gross (former Communication Champion) how
to shape universal services and make provision for young people with additional needs here
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SLCN commissioning tools- will help commissioners and service providers to improve the system and
services to achieve better outcomes for young people with SLCN. Please follow the links to view the detail
of the tools- Introduction, Needs assessment, Whole system mapping and design, User involvement and
consultation, Workforce planning, Evaluating outcomes
Two Years On: final report of the Communication Champion for children- Jean Gross made 30
recommendations to Government, Local Authorities, the voluntary sector and schools on the future of
speech, language and communication services for children based on findings from meetings with 105 out of
the 152 local authority/NHS Primary Care Trust commissioning pairings in England. Access the report here
Schools as commissioners- The Communication Champion developed a document which gives general
advice for schools on commissioning services for speech, language and communication available here. The
RCSLT and Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP) have developed
a guide on commissioning speech and language therapy services available here
Commissioning national services for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)- the following
documents on commissioning national services for AAC provision in England are published by the Office of
the Communication Champion and Council to support specialised commissioningA Model Service Specification and Final Report
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Quality Standards- these standards documents, published
by Communication Matters, aim to describe national good practice and principles for people who need and
use AAC services: AAC Services Standards (August 2012) and AAC Quality Standard for
Commissioners (September 2011)
Securing the support required for young people with SLCN –for parents and practitioners
 Misunderstood- explains more about what SLCN are and includes advice and guidance on how to support
communication development. Find out more here
 Other Ways of Speaking- provides information about young people who use a variety of different ways to
communicate, how to support them and where to go for further information. Find our more here
 The SLI Handbook- written by I CAN and Afasic, the handbook explains what a specific language
impairment is, gives advice and support and how to find further information. Find out more here
 Small Talk- provides information about what helps children aged 0-5 learn to talk and listen, whether
they're on the right track and what to do if you have concerns about your child. Small Talk is a resource
aimed at parents that Early Years practitioners are encouraged to pass on. Find out more here
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Through the eyes of a child- four films to help parents encourage their children's communication
development. Narrated by comedian Kathy Burke, the films are full of useful advice on how parents can
encourage their child to talk and interact with them. Find out more here
Workforce development
 The Speech, Language and Communication Framework (SLCF)- outlines what you need to know and be
able to do in order to support children and young people's communication. The SLCF is an online self-audit
tool which signposts you to training to help develop the areas you are less confident in – find it here
 Listen To Us- a new, practical resource for people providing training support or professional development
in SLCN, mainly reflecting specific language impairments (SLI). It includes a DVD of carefully chosen clips
showing children and young people with SLCN and a supporting booklet, offering some questions for
reflection to accompany the DVD. Find our more here.
 Level 3 Award in Supporting Children and Young People's Speech Language and Communication
(Number: 4337)- a new Level 3 Award designed for early years practitioners and teaching assistants from
all educational settings, support staff in a variety of childcare, health, social care, play work and youth
justice settings. Find out more here or for further information please contact Emma Hickley
ehickley@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk
 The Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma: Mandatory Speech, Language and Communication
Unit in the Early Years Pathway (EYMP5)- the Trust has produced free, expertly written materials for
trainers and learners to support the delivery of the Early Years Mandatory Pathway Unit 5 which are
available here or for further information on either award, please contact Emma Hickley
ehickley@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk
If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Hillis chillis@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk / 020 7843 2554