WIREDGOV

- Ed Balls doubles funding to kick-start national fundraising appeal -

- Michael Palin launches new appeal to expand services and increase training of speech and language therapists -

A further £500,000 was today announced by Schools Secretary, Ed Balls to help fund a new centre which will provide early intervention and support for children and young people who stammer.

The funding is supporting the ARSC (Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood) Appeal for a new centre of excellence in West Yorkshire to complement the existing centre in London. It brings the total contribution to the Appeal from the Department for Children, Schools and Families to £1 million.

The Prince of Wales, Patron of the ARSC Appeal, hosted a reception today at Clarence House, where Michael Palin gave his backing to support the charity's ambitions to raise a further £2 million to expand services at the centre in London and help set up the new centre in West Yorkshire.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:

"It is tremendous news that HRH The Prince of Wales has agreed to become the Patron of this very important appeal, which will ensure that more children than ever will get the chance to get specialist speech and language support with their stammer.

"I want every child to get the support they need to be able to progress and reach their potential, and no young boy or girl should be held back by a stammer or any other special need. If children with a stammer get the right specialist help early on, they can very often overcome any difficulties and go on to excel at school and in later life

"More than 3,500 children and their parents have already been supported at the Michael Palin Centre in London since it opened in March 1993. The Michael Palin Centre does great work to help children and their families and we know the big difference they make.

"The new centre of excellence in West Yorkshire will mean more accessible support for thousands more children across the country.

"That's why I am delighted we are contributing to the new centre, expanding services and increasing training of speech and language therapists."

Andy Burnham, Health Secretary said:

"We can do more to give all children the best possible start in life, particularly those whose self-esteem and self-confidence may be low because of a stammer. This extra money will make a huge difference for hundreds of young people. I feel particularly strongly that children in the North of England should have better access to specialist support.

"Work at the Michael Palin Centre has demonstrated the benefits of specialist intervention at an early stage. I am very pleased that the NHS in Yorkshire and the Humber is working closely with the Association for Research into Stammering on the development of a further centre of excellence."

Michael Palin, Vice President of ARSC, said:

"My own experience of my father's stammer made me determined to support the Charity's aim - that every child in the country should be able to get specialist help.

"I am immensely proud of all we have achieved at the Michael Palin Centre but there are many more children who need us.

"I wholeheartedly support the aims of this Appeal and I urge you to join me. Together we can help to change the lives of many more children and make sure that, unlike my father, they are spared the agony of a lifelong stammer."

Frances Cook, Centre Manager at the Michael Palin Centre said:

"This is a really positive step forward for children and young people who stammer. For too long families have had difficulty accessing specialist therapy because resources have been so scarce. Stammering is a problem that can be helped and with extra funds we can do so much more."

Dame Gail Ronson, Chair of the ARSC Appeal said:

"Stammering is very close to my family's heart and I am delighted to support this Appeal. This is a wonderful opportunity to increase the help we can give to so many more children and young people, giving them the opportunity they deserve to fulfil their potential.

Editor's Notes

1. The Michael Palin Centre in London opened in 1993. It provides practical help, advice and support for children who stammer. It has helped more than 3,000 children to achieve their full potential through better communication. The Centre has a team of 11 specialist speech and language therapists. The department provided a grant of £340,000 to the Michael Palin centre in London over three financial years to develop and pilot an effective Stammering Information Programme

2. In October 2009, Ed Balls and Michael Palin launched the Stammering Information Programme. The programme is designed to equip the education work force with skills to support children who stammer; engaging speech and language therapists; encouraging better collaboration across different sectors of the children's workforce services; and to make sure strategies are in place to help prevent any discrimination or disadvantages these children may face.

Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the programme offers information, advice and training materials and follows the review by John Bercow, MP of speech, language and communication needs, where communication was highlighted as a key skill children need to succeed.

The roll-out of the stammering programme began in December 2009 and 1,000 members of the educational workforce have already received the DVD giving practical advice on supporting children who stammer.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0195

3. On top of today's announcement of an extra £500k making a total of £1m, the government has already pledged £5million in 2009 to help improve services for children and young people with communication problems. This is part of a £12 million investment to implement the Government Action Plan, Better Communication.

The package of measures includes:
- Recruitment of a Communication Champion to raise the profile of these issues, drive delivery of reforms, improve local performance and lead the National Year of Speech, Language and Communication (2011-2012).
- Sixteen pilot areas - backed by £2million investment - have been chosen to identify good practice in providing support for children with speech, language and communication needs through the joint working of organisations such as PCTs and local authorities. This will be used to develop a national framework to improve the way services are delivered for children across the country.
- The University of Warwick has been selected to lead a consortium delivering a three year, £1.5million research programme on the cost-effectiveness of interventions for children with speech, language and communication needs and to improve the evidence base.
- Twelve organisations working to support children with alternative and augmentative communication needs have been chosen to share grants totalling £500,000 this year as part of Becta's commitment to provide £1.5 million of funding over three years. These grants aim to support delivery and provision of services.

4. Location of the new centre in West Yorkshire is to be decided

Contact Details

Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk