Suffolk County Council buys Infant Language Link and Speech Link for 254 Primary Schools

Speech Link Multimedia Ltd is pleased to announce that it has signed a contract to supply Infant Language Link and Speech Link to all Suffolk mainstream primary schools for one year from September 2019. School staff working with children and young people in Suffolk will have the confidence, skills, knowledge and tools to identify speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) early, will be equipped to provide support and early interventions and know when to refer into specialist speech and language therapy (SaLT) services.

The ability to develop effective speech, language and communication skills is fundamental to the development of all children and young people and their ability to reach their full potential in education and beyond. The Suffolk system has recognised the need to develop its approach to supporting children and young people with SLCN, and has worked with parents and carers, education, health and care to develop a new integrated model that aims to meet these needs in a timely way, and with the right support and interventions. Infant Language Link and Speech Link are a key part of this new model.

We have worked hard with Suffolk County Council and local SLT teams to develop an umbrella partnership that will provide mainstream primary schools with the tools necessary to identify and support children with SLCN. Our SLT team is looking forward to meeting school staff when training starts in September.

Pete McLeod, Director at Speech Link Multimedia Ltd

We looked at a number of options but felt that Speech Link Multimedia Ltd.’s packages best met our requirements. Infant Language Link and Speech Link are used across the country with success, and a number of schools in Suffolk that already use the packages have reported a positive impact. As part of the new Speech, Language and Communication model, £1 million has been invested into recruiting additional speech and language therapists to ensure that children referred into the service get the support they need.

Garry Joyce, Associate Director of Transformation: Children and Young People, Suffolk County Council says,

About Infant Language Link and Speech Link

Infant Language Link and Speech Link are award-winning online packages from Speech Link Multimedia Ltd that assist SENCos, teachers and TAs to identify and support speech and language needs in the classroom and identify when to refer to specialist services. The packages also provide tailored interventions to work with children in school and measured outcomes to progress tracking.

For more information, contact Judith McMillan, Speech Link Multimedia Ltd

Judith.mcmillan@speechlink.co.uk

Jemima Monteith-Thomas, Children’s Alliance Project Lead, Suffolk County Council

Jemima.monteith-thomas@suffolk.gov.uk