A project which has helped thousands of children in Norfolk to access the best possible speech, language and communication support has been awarded a prestigious prize for innovation.

‘Talk About’, which is delivered by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C), has been awarded the Sternberg Clinical Innovation Award by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).

The accolade, which includes a £1,000 prize, recognises new and innovative clinical projects which have brought significant benefits to clients and the speech and language therapy profession.

The award comes just a year after the launch of Talk About, which has been funded with £500k from Norfolk County Council. Since then, 266 schools, nurseries and playgroups have signed up to take part in the scheme, which provides their staff with essential training to help them identify and support children who have difficulties developing their speech, language and communication skills.

Over the past year, more than 800 early years and healthcare staff have attended Talk About training courses, with more than 7,000 Norfolk children aged between three and five benefiting as a result.

Alison Fuller, NCH&C’s Professional Champion for Speech and Language Therapy, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this prestigious award, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone in the Talk About team.

“Speaking, listening and interacting well with others are fundamental skills which are essential in all areas of life. The early years are a critical period for the development of these skills, and are also the best time for interventions to help children with any difficulties.

“That is why it is so important for staff at playgroups, nurseries and schools to be able to identify children who may need additional support to help them develop their communication skills and reach their full potential.”

The Talk About team is made up of 10 expert NCH&C Speech and Language Therapists, who deliver the training to staff from early years settings. This includes information about how children’s speech and language usually develops, how to spot when communication skills are not developing as well as usual, how best to interact with children to promote language development and ways to support both children and their parents.

Through the training, early years practitioners learn about children’s communication development in detail, and are able to spot any patterns of need within their nursery or school. Then they report on their findings to the Talk About team, in turn helping to develop a better picture of young children’s speech, language and communication needs across Norfolk.

“Communication difficulties can sometimes be hard to spot but they can lead to children becoming withdrawn, isolated or not reaching their potential at school or even later in life,” added Alison. “But giving the people who regularly work with young children this important training means that those who do need extra support can receive it at an early stage.

“The Talk About team has worked really hard to share our knowledge and expertise and we are delighted that so many early years staff have already taken up the training. We look forward to helping even more people over the coming year, in turn bringing benefits for thousands more children in Norfolk.”

The Talk About team has also developed an online resource to make it even easier for practitioners and teachers to access further information and support, which launched at the end of September at www.talkaboutnorfolk.co.uk

Representatives from the team will receive the innovation award at a ceremony in Birmingham on 10 October 2013.

 

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