The Communication Trust has launched a nationwide campaign to support the 2011 National Year of Communication – Hello.
Hello will set out to achieve the aims of the National Year by providing tangible improvements for the 1.2 million children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)
Anita Kerwin-Nye, Director of The Communication Trust, said: “The Hello campaign directly complements the Governments current priorities. Parents and families need timely information and support on developing their children’s communication, which is why we have set ourselves an ambitious target of reaching every new parent in 2011, amongst other activity. We will greatly improve understanding of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and speech and language impairment (SLI), taking it to a level not seen before.
“No parent should feel alone or have to fight for services because their child’s needs have been misunderstood, or in the worst situations, missed altogether. The children’s workforce wants more information and support in developing all children’s speech and language and in identifying problems early on. We will provide ages and stages booklets, milestone posters, clear and easy symptom checklists that validate concerns and develop approaches to screening for children at pre-school and age five. Importantly, we will champion the excellent work that is already out there through a ‘Good Communication’ awards scheme.”
Hello is promoting a series of monthly themes to help supporters think creatively about how to link to the campaign and explore some of the key aspects of children’s communication development. January’s theme asks people to learn more about how communication involved you in life – ‘Hello. Don’t take communication for granted.’
For full details about the campaign, updates and information on how you can get involved, visit www.hello.org.uk.
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