The Government’s proposed SEND reforms have prompted significant discussion across education, health, and the wider SEND community over recent months.
At ASLTIP, we recently worked alongside the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) to develop a joint response to those proposals, drawing on conversations with professionals, families, carers, and partner organisations.
At the heart of the proposals is an ambition many people share: earlier support for children and young people, more inclusive mainstream settings, and closer working between education and health. Those ambitions matter!
For many children, difficulties with speech, language and communication are not simply “learning challenges.” They affect friendships, confidence, emotional wellbeing, participation, and the ability to fully access everyday life. When support comes too late, small difficulties can grow into much bigger barriers.
That is why we welcome the fact that speech and language therapists are recognised throughout the reform proposals. In many ways, this reflects something families and professionals have known for years: communication sits at the centre of learning, connection, and inclusion.
But alongside the positives, there are also important questions that still need answering.
One of the biggest concerns is what the reforms will mean for children and young people with more significant speech, language and communication needs. While earlier support and more inclusive mainstream provision are hugely important, some children will still require specialist assessment and individual intervention from qualified speech and language therapists.
Families need reassurance that specialist support will not become harder to access under a reformed system.
There are also understandable questions around workforce capacity. Across NHS services, independent practice, schools, and community settings, speech and language therapists are already working hard to meet rising levels of need. Reform cannot simply rely on goodwill and stretched services somehow finding more capacity.
Independent speech and language therapists already play a significant role in supporting children, families, and schools across local communities. We believe that expertise should be recognised as part of the wider solution as these reforms develop. Across many communities, independent speech and language therapists are already working alongside schools, families, NHS colleagues, and local services to help meet growing levels of need.
Alongside this, there are important questions around accountability and how these reforms would work in practice. Anyone working within SEND knows that good intentions do not always translate into consistent support on the ground. For reforms to make a meaningful difference, there needs to be clarity around who is responsible for funding, commissioning, and delivering support, alongside strong partnership working between health and education.
Ultimately, everybody wants the same thing: a system where children and young people receive the support they need at the right time, in the right way, from professionals with the appropriate expertise.
As these reforms continue to develop, it will be essential that the voices of children, families, and frontline professionals remain part of the conversation.
At the heart of this joint response is a shared commitment to children and young people. By working together, ASLTIP and the RCSLT are able to bring together a broad range of professional experience and perspectives to help advocate for better outcomes for children, families, and schools. The experiences and perspectives shared by members, parents, and carers also played an important role in shaping the joint response and grounding it in the realities faced by children, families, and professionals.
Meaningful reform will require collaboration across the whole system, and strong professional partnerships are an important part of that. ASLTIP will continue advocating for communication, inclusion, and access to appropriate support for children and young people across all levels of need.
Read the full joint statement from ASLTIP and the RCSLT.
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