In September 2007 I was asked by Ed Balls and Alan Johnson to lead an independent review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). It was the first major review of this kind in seven years and it provided an excellent opportunity to bolster support for vulnerable children and young people.
The remit of the Review was broad and challenging, as the Terms of Reference show. With the help of expert advisors, I saw and heard for myself what the present situation is and how we can improve the support available.
We gathered evidence from a wide range of sources:
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In October 2007, we issued a consultation questionnaire to which we received over 2000 responses – including almost 1000 from families – by the January 2008 deadline.
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We staged a series of consultation groups to hear views about, for example, young offenders’ communication difficulties and the plight of those who need alternative and augmentative communication aids to express themselves. In addition, we listened in further consultation groups to the voices of parents, children and young people in locations across the country, including focus groups led by Sue Roulstone and Anne Ayre from the Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit.
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We visited children’s centres, nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools from London to Sussex, from Buckinghamshire to Kent, from Leicester to Manchester, from Oxford to Nottingham, from Essex to Salford and from Newcastle to Norwich to Plymouth. In the process, we met many children, young people and their parents, teachers, special needs coordinators, classroom assistants, speech and language therapists, together with other Primary Care Trust and local authority staff.
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We commissioned research by leading academics in the field of speech, language and communication needs – Geoff Lindsay, Martin Desforges, Julie Dockrell, James Law and Nick Peacey. This research explored the efficiency and effectiveness in six case study areas of the provision for children and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties. It further assessed the feasibility of conducting a cost-benefit analysis of investment in services for this group. You can read a summary of the researchers' report here [pdf 42kb]. The full report will be published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families shortly.
I have now published the Review’s final report, setting out our findings and our recommendations to Government. PDF versions of the final report and supporting documentation are available below.
I am privileged to have been asked to lead this Review and very grateful to everyone who has taken time to contribute. My particular thanks must go to my advisory group for their tireless commitment, energy and hard work throughout the Review. I hope that we can make a difference for the benefit of our children and young people by setting the direction of travel of public policy for the months and years ahead.
John Bercow
Final report
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The Bercow Report: Services for Children and Young People with Speech, Language and Communication Needs [1mb]
The full report contains details of the Review process, a report of responses to our online consultation, case studies, a list of contributors and a glossary.
