More action required to support children and young people with speech, language & communication needs

In an unprecedented move, leading organisations from the world of children’s health and social care, education, justice, disability and poverty have come together today (7 March 2019) to urge the Government to do more to improve support for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

Coordinated by I CAN, the children’s charity, and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), the coalition of over 60 organisations, which includes the British Dyslexia Association, has sent an open letter to the Prime Minister calling on the Government to tackle the inequality of services for some 1.4 million children and young people with SLCN in the UK. The coalition wants to see urgent action in five key areas, which will improve the life chances for these children and young people, enabling them to reach their full potential.

The letter to the Prime Minister comes as I CAN and the RCSLT publish the first anniversary update to their joint report, Bercow: Ten Years On, which looked at the state of provision for children and young people with SLCN in England. Of the 47 recommendations for action made in the report, 17 of them have been implemented. However, far more needs to be done by the Government.

Please click here to read the letter to the Prime Minister, and be sure to help us share this information far and wide on social media, using the hashtags #speakupforSLCN and #speakupforcommunication.