Waveney SaLT

Section 25 of the Children and Families Act seeks to ensure the integration of special educational provision with health and social care provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Consequently, Suffolk County Council (the Commissioners) are working to commission services jointly for children and young people (CYP) with SEND, with and without Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Speech and Language services falls within this mandate owing to the integration of education and therapy provision supporting speech, language and communication needs. The Service shall be provided across the Waveney area.This is a specialist Service for children and young people who have been identified as having additional needs in the areas of speech, language and communication.

The Provider should work to an integrated model (the Balanced System), and SCC are looking to work with the Provider on how this will be implemented and delivered in Waveney. The service is targeted at children and young people aged 0-18 within educational settings who present with speech, language and communication disorders, delays or dysphagia.

The Service will align to existing services for 0-25 year olds. This includes (but is not limited to) the Healthy Child Programme 0-19 and other current provisions which exist through Adults Services for Young People who require speech and language support aged between 18 to 25 years, whose needs are delivered through a EHC plan (and further into adulthood).