What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme of 'How can improvement be used to reduce delays accessing health and care services'?

The health visiting team, children centres and early years settings all offer support at a targeted level for children who identified at their 2 year check with delayed language development. There are a range of programmes and the aim is to support children and their family in the way that works best for them.

There is group for parents and children based on The Wellcomm Big Book of Ideas and some families are offered this support on a 1:1 at home from Health Practitioners or Family visitors although this support is very limited.

Children who need further support after the group/1:1 input are referred on to the speech and language service: there is  currently a wait time of 25 -30 weeks.

The project will look at optimising the group and 1:1 support with specialist Speech and Language input so families are still accessing  effective support whilst waiting.

It will build on current systems and relationships.

What does your project aim to achieve?

We want to dovetail the services together and support each others work so families are on a speech and language pathway rather than trapped waiting between services.

The working together will mean each service will be using their expertise in the most effective way and lead to joint learning and cross pollination of ideas and understanding of each others roles .

The specialist speech and language input will provide the quality assurance and support the Children Centres and Health Visiting team are asking for. It will boost their  confidence to deliver the programme and increase its’ impact.

This project would be delivered alongside the Derby Family Hub and focus on extending the support to families who are currently under represented for example, refugees, the Deaf community, LGBTQ families.

33.8% of Derby’s population has a Multiple Deprivation index below 2 . The link between deprivation and speech, language and communication skills well documented.

How will the project be delivered?

This project would be delivered alongside the work happening in Derby’s new Family Hub. The Speech and Language input to the Family Hub is to develop Early Years Autism Services and to deliver specialist coaching for Health Visitors on speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). The Hub work has been agreed with the Department of Education so has a high level of quality assurance.

This project would  bring more strands of the Early Years SLCN pathway together and further strengthen  links between the services and the impact of the support offered.  This should lead to an increase in confidence from families as they will feel they have a joined up team supporting them.

It will allow duplication to be easily identified and optimise the targeted Speech and Language offer. There will be opportunity for involving families in person centred  conversations to ensure the service is meeting their needs.

How is your project going to share learning?

• write up the project and share through the appropriate Q community channels
• involve DCHS quality team and present at events/appropriate channels
• Share in local teams to generate more interest across system working to benefit families and maximise the impact of input
• write articles for Early Years publications
• integrate this work with the research project being delivered through the Derby City Family Hub and supported by the University of Derby