RCSLT Good Communication Standards: Development of
Communication Passports
The aim of this initiative was to provide and share relevant information
with regard to the child's communicative skills prior to commencing their
educational placement, enabling them to transition and settle in more
easily, and to enhance the partnership between parents, education staff
and the Preschool Child Development (PCD) SLT Team.
Parents/carers worked closely with the Speech and Language Therapist
in creating the individualised communication passport specifically for
their child. This was achieved through the development and use of a
questionnaire and face to face sessions. The parents/carers also received
a personal copy to use in other areas which they felt would be useful
eg. football, swimming activities.
The education staff were actively involved in determining the most appropriate timescale for the
communication passports to be received. They also completed an Observation Checklist on each
child highlighting any concerns they had within the educational environment and forwarding this to
the SLT involved.
This Initiative involved 5 of the PCD Speech and Language Therapists, and 2 Speech and
Language Therapy Assistants. There was a cluster group of Nurseries, involving 5 teachers, from
which feedback was sought and a number of parents/carers provided verbal feedback.
Those involved in the initiative reported the following:
• Communication passports created more engagement between the therapists, parents and
preschool staff
• Preschool staff felt more prepared for the children arriving into their facility and that they
knew from the outset the children were receiving support from the Trust regarding their
speech, language and communicative development
• Having the observation form at the beginning of the year allowed them to focus on the
child's strengths as well as weaknesses in relation to their communicative skills
• Parents/carers reported that they felt empowered in the co-producing of the passport as it
was very specific to their own child
• The initiative was time consuming for the therapists and assistants to initially implement,
however it gave them an opportunity to share pertinent information in a joined up approach
and in a timely manner
• Therapists reported that there was a significant reduction in 'Information Gathering' phone
calls from the nurseries and playgroups in the first term of school.
Following the implementation of this initiative, feedback from the Nursery cluster group and
parents, the Observation form has been further developed and is now in use by the wider speech
and Language therapy Team within the Trust.
It is vital that we ensure the communication passports are relevant and are a useful and
practical tool for educational staff and parents. Feedback is always valuable. So we need to
continue monitoring the use of the observation checklists completed by the educational staff
and ensure they are used by the SLTs in planning appropriate and timely intervention.
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114 Goal 5: Integrating the Care - Community Care