Speech, language and communication are central life skills which underpin learning, attainment, behaviour, mental well-being and social and emotional development. It is essential that everyone working with children and young people:

  • understands the importance of their role in supporting and developing these crucial skills
  • uses the best available evidence to make changes to their practice and
  • evidences their continuing professional development (CPD).




  • How using the SLCF can lead to improvements in your knowledge, skills and confidence in a specific area, for example identifying if a child or young person has speech, language and communication needs
  • How using the SLCF can result in positive changes in your practice
  • How your setting can use the SLCF to develop a plan for staff training around speech, language and communication
  • How you can use the SLCF to develop and promote your own training or resources

Standards are raised by the sharing of good practice, so it’s important that if you recognise improvements in your own practice that you share these with others.

Some ways you might do this include:

  • Using the SLCF regularly – we recommend you login in around once a month to check for gaps in your learning and see in which areas your knowledge, skills and confidence has improved
    Sharing your findings with your peers, colleagues and networks and talking about how the changes to your knowledge and skills have led to improvements in your practice.
  • Promoting your good practice through wider communication channels such as internal newsletters or social media. Don’t forget to use our hashtag so we can retweet you! #slcf

For information on evidence based speech, language and communication interventions for children and young people, please visit our What Works database. Our Developing and Using Evidence page is also available to guide practitioners to develop and use their own evidence in working with children and young people.

If you’ve downloaded a copy of the ‘SLCF Case study form’ and would like to send us your story, or, if you’d like to discuss your potential case study before putting pen to paper please get in touch at slcf@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk