Learn more about EPIC below or visit our dedicated EPIC website here.
EPIC speech and language therapy services is a school led partnership established to meet the speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and/or eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties of local children, families and schools. The service consists of a team of speech and language therapists and speech and language therapy assistants. In addition, we are pleased to support the training of undergraduate speech and language therapy students through which we have developed a strong working relationship with the speech and language therapy department at De Montfort University.
EPIC speech and language therapy services has been established to work in harmony with local NHS providers. All of our partner schools should continue to seek provision from their local NHS service as per their statutory rights. It is our aim as a service to bridge the gap between what is required by those in need and the services available within the increasingly stretched NHS.
EPIC can support primary aged children who may experience a range of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). SLCN encompasses a wide range of needs that require different levels and types of provision.
EPIC can support primary aged children who may experience a range of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). SLCN encompasses a wide range of needs that require different levels and types of provision. The following definitions are taken from The Balanced System™ and are supported by the new SEND Code of Practice (2014):
Universal interventions support the entire population, i.e. whole class or whole school and ensure all children have appropriate language and communication opportunities. This level includes workforce development, access to appropriate information, creating communication friendly environments and whole class/setting/school intervention approaches.
Targeted interventions offer specific support for those children and young people who are felt to be vulnerable in relation to speech, language and communication.
The group is wide ranging and includes children with delayed language and communication skills who following targeted intervention will return to the universal tier, through to identification of children who may go on to have more persistent needs. This level includes small group and individual targeted intervention approaches such as language groups, narrative groups, social communication skills programmes and phonology programmes.
Specialist interventions are in addition to the universal and targeted offer for those children and young people who require a highly individualised and personalised programme of work. This group includes children with complex learning and communication needs and those children who are cognitively able and have specific speech, language or communication needs.
EPIC SALTS has an ever evolving number of training programmes and specialisms that can be commissioned by schools to raise awareness, upskill staff and support pupils’ speech, language and communication development at a universal, targeted and specialist level. These programmes include, but are not limited to:
In addition to the training programmes on offer at a whole school level, EPIC SALTS are also pleased to offer a small number of centrally led training programmes each year. These include:
For those who complete our communication champion, targeted interventions and specialist interventions training programmes, we are pleased to be able to offer ongoing supervision to support them in their delivery of interventions back in school.
As a fully qualified and registered team, we are also pleased to be able to offer supervision to external speech and language therapists seeking the supervision they require as part of their CPD and welcome universities to contact us regarding student placements.
