Management Information Sheet
CYP on the Speech and Language Therapy Support waiting list - Latest update
The following is the December 2021 update for the Norfolk and Waveney Children's speech and language therapy support for children and young people (CYP) on the waiting list.
Waiting List Progress
So seven weeks in and we are making progress between us. Over 500 children and young people who were waiting have a planned triage call or follow up sessions booked. Our team is getting more confident in the process and the speech and language therapy team are getting some great feedback from early years settings and schools - thank you for the feedback it really helps us know what is working well and the things we need to tweak.
Appointment Letters
When appointment letters are sent to schools or settings a copy is also sent to the child or young person's parents or carer with details of the date and time offered. Please do flag this up to office staff and ask them to ensure these are passed on the relevant person promptly so you don't receive queries from parents about appointments you are unaware of.
Rearranging Appointments
Please only rearrange appointments as a last resort. Therapist diaries are now booked up well in advance and so booking an alternative time could result in a delay in developing advice, support and following up session for individual children.
Referral Process
While we are working hard to reduce the waiting list, our referral process remains the same. We will accept referrals for children with an identified and persistent SLCN. More details can be found on the Just One Norfolk website - how to make a referral, which includes information on:
- Screening and intervention
- Communication referrals
- Eating and drinking referrals
What works
We have seen a commitment from schools and settings waiting to utilise the virtual appointments as effectively as possible. One excellent example has been our session with Ashleigh Primary School and Nursery - here is Amy's feedback about how as a SENCo it worked for them.
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How we organised the appointment "We just split it between the three children we needed to discuss so 20 minutes per child. I checked with teachers the best time for them and then we gave each parent their allocated appointment time if they wanted to attend (9:30, 9:50 and 10:10). We sent the parental questionnaires out a week before the meeting so we had those back in case they didn't attend on the day." What did we get from the appointment "The meeting was so useful! We were able to discuss all the children on the waiting list and had a plan of action by the end of the meeting. We felt it was a great use of time, especially as many of these children have been on the waiting list a while and their speech concerns may have changed. We now have next steps (including dates of appointments) and training opportunities set up and ready to go for next term." Top tips for other schools and settings "Join using the school name, not the child name. I realised after we finished the first appointment that I had listed the child's name which meant any subsequent parents that joined would be able to see who we had discussed previously - probably common sense but didn't dawn on me until we were about to start discussing the next child! "Be organised with the time and make sure someone is there who really knows the child (most likely class teacher) as they can discuss speech concerns in detail." |
Feedback
If you have any top tips or advice you would like us to share about how you have got the most from the triage appointments or agreed plans, please do let your therapist know and we will share them. Let's celebrate what works and support each other to get the best outcomes for our CYP.