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Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service

We are a team of Speech and Language Therapists covering North Somerset Based at Drove Road Child Development Centre in Weston super Mare.


We are part of the Specialist Community Children’s Service Team. Our Team of 7.7 Whole Time Equivalent Speech and Language Therapists are all registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.


We aim to provide assessment, diagnosis, interventions and advice for children from aged 1 through primary education with speech, language and communication difficulties and/or with swallowing problems. We provide a limited core service for children in secondary education – see further information below.
We work in close liaison with other Health, Education, Social Care and Voluntary Sector colleagues.


Referrals
The children we assess could have :-
Difficulties with understanding and using verbal language
Speech sound difficulties
Voice disorders
Fluency disorders (stammer)
Swallowing Difficulties
A need for alternative communication methods
Difficulties at the early stages of communication development

Referral Criteria

We operate an open referral system. Consent must be obtained from someone with Parental Responsibility prior to referral.

We offer a core service for secondary aged children with needs in the following areas :-
Fluency Disorders (stammer)
Voice Disorders
Structural and enduring speech sound difficulties
Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties)
High level Alternative and Augmentative Communication Methods

Referrals are made via the Single Point of Entry Form which is available from Drove Road or The Barn Clevedon.
All referrals received are triaged by senior clinicians and accepted if the referral criteria are met.


Assessment
We aim to see children within 18 weeks of the referral being accepted. Assessment is carried out at the Drove Road Children’s Centre and The Barn in Clevedon and occasionally in schools or early years settings. Someone with parental responsibility will need to attend this appointment.
Children referred to more than one service may be assessed by a multi-professional team.

Treatment
A treatment pathway will be agreed with the family which may be :-
Advice and file closed to Speech and Language Therapy
1 to 1 sessions with a Speech and Language Therapist or Child Development Practitioner which parents will need to attend.
Devising targets and demonstrating activities for support workers to deliver in schools and early years settings.
Helping to develop the skills of others in the child’s home, school or early years setting.

The level of service provided will depend on :-
Severity of the problem and its impact on the child, we use a national outcome measure to monitor our effectiveness.
Level of carer support
Potential effectiveness of different types of therapy based on research and the evidence base
Amount of available speech and language therapy resource

Discharge
Children will be closed to the speech and language therapy service when :-
Sufficient progress is being made
Speech, language and or communication needs can be met in the child’s education setting
Speech and Language Therapy is no longer indicated
The child’s communication difficulties have resolved
Advice is not being followed
Insufficient attendance at appointments

For more information about the Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service please contact:
Drove House
Drove Road
WSM
BS23 3NT
Tel: 0300 125 6710
sirona.childservicesdroveroad@nhs.net

Who to contact

Contact Name
Principal Speech and Language Therapist
Telephone
0300 125 6710
E-mail
sirona.childservicesdroveroad@nhs.net
Website
Community Children's Health Partnership website

Where to go

Name
Drove House
Address
Specialist Community Children's Services
Drove Road
Weston-super-mare
Postcode
BS23 3NT

Other details

Availability

Referral required
Yes
Referral Details

Referrals are made via the Single Point of Entry Form which is available from Drove Road or The Barn Clevedon.
All referrals received are triaged by senior clinicians and accepted if the referral criteria are met.

Local offer

Local Offer Age Bands
Secondary School
Primary School
Early Years
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