Glyn Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, has backed a campaign calling on the Welsh Government to fund more speech and language therapy posts in Wales, in order to give the youngest and most disadvantaged children the same opportunities as others.
Glyn Davies and other Welsh MPs recently met with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) in Westminster to raise awareness of their ‘Giving Voice’ campaign. The RCSLT’s research has found that around half of children from disadvantaged backgrounds have communication problems that will hold them back throughout their lives. The RCSLT say that without specialist help from Speech and Language Therapists, the lives of Wales’s youngest and poorest children could be blighted and they may never go on to fulfil their full potential.
One of the key recommendations of the recent All Party Parliamentary Group on Speech and Language Therapy was that children from disadvantaged backgrounds should receive additional support in their early years to have a secure foundation for language development. The RCSLT is calling on the Welsh Government to increase the number of Speech and Language Therapists working in Flying Start teams across Wales.
Flying Start is the Welsh Government’s targeted Early Years programme for families with children under 4 years of age in some of Wales’s most deprived communities. In the past 12 months, 23,500 children in Wales have been supported under the Flying Start programme. But a recent survey revealed that only 13 Speech and Language Therapists (full-time equivalents) are working in Flying Start projects at the present time. The Welsh Government has committed a further £55 million to double the number of children supported by the programme which means that around 18,000 children will need specialist Speech and Language support.
Speaking about the RCSLT’s ‘Giving Voice’ campaign, Glyn Davies MP said:
“The Giving Voice campaign is an important step in raising awareness of the vital work which speech therapists carry out in helping children with speech, language, and communication needs. Poor communication skills can have a major impact on a young person’s life chances. Without early intervention or treatment, communication problems could lead to lower education attainment, lower employability, behavioural problems and a higher risk of offending.
“Early intervention by Speech and Language Therapists would help transform the lives of our youngest and most disadvantaged children. It could also help to break the depressing cycle of deprivation and change the course of their lives from the outset.”
For more information on the ‘Giving Voice’ campaign, visit www.givingvoiceuk.org.
