The British Government has announced a £52 million package today to tackle the communication problems that can blight children's lives.
The funding comes as a result of a ground breaking independent review by John Bercow MP, commissioned by Government, which identifies that communication is the key life skill for every child - if they are to achieve at school, make friends and be successful in later life.
The review looks in depth at how to improve services for children and young people with problems ranging from severe speech and language impairments to a vocabulary limited by social reasons, such as a family background where communication between family members is limited.
Alongside recommendations for Government, John Bercow urged parents to help their children gain vital communication skills by sharing activities like family meals or outings where conversation is the focus.
It also looks at the extreme consequences communication problems can lead to - from initial frustration at not being able to express oneself, to bullying or being bullied at school, fewer job prospects and even the descent into criminality.
The review was one of the biggest of its kind ever, with over 2,000 consultation responses - around half of which were from parents. The onus will now be on the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department of Health (DH) to make a real difference for children and families affected by SLC problems.
A key theme of John Bercow's report is that early intervention is key to tackling the communication problems that can ruin young people's later lives.
The Government is also announcing today £40 million programme that will enable those working with pre-school children, for example nursery staff, to access training and materials to support young children's early language development. The Let's Talk programme will support early years staff to develop children's speaking and listening skills, and will help to spot those children with problems at an early age. Children's Minister, Beverley Hughes, will announce the full details of the programme on Wednesday 9 July.
The review calls on Government to raise the profile of children with communication difficulties amongst local authorities and primary care trusts, which are responsible for services for children with SLC needs, as well as in wider society. The bulk of the recommendations deal with improving delivery on the ground. The review found that, across the country, services and the capacity of the children's workforce needs to improve and much more needs to be done to join up services at a local level.
The review was welcomed by Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and by Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health, who announced jointly that £12 million will be set aside to implement the recommendations. The report contains 40 recommendations. The Government accepts the points raised in the recommendations and will address them in an implementation plan in the Autumn.
Key recommendations focus on:
- Raising the profile of SLC by creating a Communication Council, and a Communication Champion to drive delivery of reforms and improve local performance. A National Year of Communication will also help raise the profile of SLC issues through PR activities;
- Better training for the workforce in helping children with SLC needs and identifying their needs at an early stage, including making SLC part of a module in the new Masters qualification for teachers. The DCSF has already contributed £340,000 to the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children to provide training materials for schools.
- Improving the information, support and advice that parents receive about children's communication;
- Setting up five pathfinders to identify best practice in the way local organisations like PCTs and Local Authorities, can work together to identify best practice in the commissioning services.
- Commissioning more research to find out what works in improving the life chances of children with SLC needs;
The Government also announced that Sir Jim Rose would examine how schools can better focus on SLC as part of his review of the primary curriculum.
Jim Rose's research has found that a child from a deprived home has heard on average just 13 million words by the age of four, compared to 45 million in a more affluent home.
John Bercow said: