Literacy news

Anita Kerwin-Nye discusses the National Year

3 Aug 2010

Anita Kerwin-Nye, Director of the Communication Trust, discussed the upcoming 2011 National Year in the August issue of the official magazine of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Bulletin. The Communication Trust has been appointed by Jean Gross, Communication Champion, to manage and deliver the National Year campaign, highlighting the importance of speech, language and communication.

The Communication Trust is developing the campaign to include a name and identity which will “speak” to parents, young people, the children’s workforce and commissioners. Materials and toolkits are also being developed with the help of speech and language therapists (SLTs). And consultations will be run locally and nationally to find out what changes will make a difference for those working with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Kerwin-Nye says, “Instead of reinventing the wheel, the National Year will shine a light on the fantastic work, resources and best practice that already exists amongst SLTs. Where possible, this will be shared nationally to help commissioners, local authorities, PCTs and schools to understand about effective commissioning and the value of investing in speech and language early.”

The role of the SLT will be a key area of celebration for the campaign. The “aim is to bring together a whole community of interest around speech and language who share knowledge and information across sectors and peer to peer.”

For more information please see www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk. The Communication Trust is currently seeking input and ideas about the National Year and is encouraging anyone to get in touch by emailing enquiries@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk. You can subscribe to the Trust’s monthly newsletter by including "subscribe" in the email.

Tags: Early Years, Early years sector, Talk To Your Baby

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