Bradford and Airedale PCT ... Speech therapists lead a language revolution
Imagine that you have three-year-old child, whose mother tongue is not English, and you are worried about her language development. It is vital that any problems are spotted early and then dealt with. But the speech therapist speaks only English. How do speech and language services identify and then support the needs of that child?
Bradford City Teaching PCT’s speech and language therapy service has been exploring just such issues. It now has therapists specialising in bilingualism who can deliver support in Punjabi – the most sought-after of the local community languages – as well as in Urdu and Bengali. The unit is now developing a capacity for eastern European languages.
Additionally, the service is recording information on CD and audio cassettes to help families support children with speech and language development. “The local dialect of Punjabi does not have a written script,” says Louise McChrystal, a consultant speech and language therapist for multicultural communities. “So we produce written Urdu material and then record CDs in Punjabi. We have a CD explaining what speech therapists do. We can send this to parents so they understand the service before they come to the clinic.”
Most innovatively, 30 of the unit’s 43 staff are learning Urdu. “Most of these staff at the class have English as their first language. But it is important that we understand South Asian languages – everyone including managers, therapists and clerical staff – so that we can properly deliver the service to the people who live in this area.”
News of Bradford’s innovative practice has spread. “Other services in Bradford are contacting us, asking us to run Urdu classes for them,” says Ms McChrystal.
Summary:
In January 2006, the speech and language therapy service are offering Urdu lessons to the whole team, including clinical staff and the admin team.
Action:
The lessons have been planned and will be delivered in-house, led by Ghazala Khan, bilingual technical instructor. The lessons will be offered to staff during work time.
Outcome:
Lessons are tailored to suit therapists needs and will be accompanied by a specially recorded CD for team to practice with.
Contact:
Louise Mc Chrystal and Ghazala Khan
Bradford Speech & Language Therapy Service
Leeds Road Hospital Maudsley Street
Bradford BD3 9LH
01274 770397
louise.mcchrystal@bradford.nhs.uk