DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (08070801) issued by The Government News Network on 8
July 2008
* Government
pledges £12m to implement recommendations
* A further £40m to support speaking and listening in early years
Government 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:
"I was delighted to be asked by Ed Balls and Alan Johnson to
study these
issues and the fact that Ministers have accepted
the main recommendations offers a real prospect of improved
services to thousands upon thousands of vulnerable children and
young people. Although there are excellent professionals and some
good services, the overall situation is highly unsatisfactory.
Access to information and services is often poor, the quality of
services is mixed, continuity across the age range is lacking,
joint working is rare and there is something of a postcode
lottery. Above all, the priority attached to communication is too
low. Responsibility for this is not the fault of any one
Government because the problem has festered under successive administrations.
"The ability to communicate is an essential life skill for
all children and young people in the 21st century. It is at the
core of all social interaction. With strong communication skills,
children can engage and thrive. Without them children will
struggle to learn, achieve, make friends and interact with the
world around them."
Ed Balls said:
"Parents know that communication is central to
children's ability to achieve, succeed and enjoy their
education. That's why we asked John Bercow to carry out this
important review.
"It's clear that local services need to improve, and
I'm grateful to John Bercow for providing such a
comprehensive set of conclusions and recommendations. I'm
convinced we can now begin to make significant improvements for
children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.
"I want to ensure that all children are supported to
communicate whether they are severely impaired or because they
simply need help to expand their vocabulary. This review will make
a real difference to all children who need support at both ends of
the spectrum.
"There is already money in the system to make some of these
improvements - the challenge is to make sure it is being used
properly. We will also contribute £12 million nationally to make
sure the recommendations can be taken forward quickly, as well as
£40 million for pre-school children, and we will publish a
detailed action plan in the Autumn."
Alan Johnson said:
"Speech, language and communication are fundamental aspects
of a child's health and well-being. Over the last 10 years,
we have increased the number of therapists by over 38% and
improved access to professional programmes to help children
overcome early speech problems.
"But we recognise more needs to be done. Today's report
will support commissioners in their role of identifying local need
and buying appropriate services to ensure that help in
communicating it is available when it is needed.
"I welcome this report and the challenges it sets for us.
We will respond more fully to the issues raised by John Bercow
when we publish our Child Health Strategy in September."
The Government has also committed to an independent check of
progress in 18 months' time.
Notes to Editors
1. The Bercow review of services for children and young people
(0-19) with speech, language and communication needs, is available
at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview
2. The Government made its formal response via a Written
Ministerial Statement which can be viewed here: link
3. A detailed implementation plan setting out how the Government
will take forward the recommendations will be published in the Autumn.
4. Children's Minister Beverley Hughes will announce more
details of the Let's Talk programme on Wednesday 9 July.