Who we are

The Children’s Speech and Language Therapy service work with children, their families and other professionals to support a wide range of communication needs in children and young people. We also have specialist Speech and Language Therapists working with Dysphagia - helping babies and children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

What we do

Working with the child/ young person and those who are significant in their lives:

• Give information that will support you to help your child/young person’s speech, language and communication.
• Access to different levels of service e.g. information, reassurance, advice, signposting, consultation and where necessary assessment and treatment.
• Effective interventions based on the latest evidence base.
• Clear reasons for our decisions.
• Goal centred care.

Speech and Language Therapy Assistants (SALTA) act in a supporting role and under the direction of a qualified SLT and are a crucial part of our team.

The Speech and Language Therapy assistant may undertake a variety of tasks, including:

• supporting clients to develop communication skills
• creating therapeutic materials
• working with clients on a one-to-one basis, with regular monitoring and therapy programme adjustment by an SLT
• supporting and running group therapy activities

The Speech and Language Therapists and assistants will help you with things you can do to help your child or young person’s speech, language and communication and/or swallowing and give you strategies to work on together.

We can help Children and Young People who may have:

• Speech, language and communication needs in the early years (0-7yrs)
• Developmental language disorders
• Specific difficulties in producing sounds
• Deafness
• Cleft lip and palate
• Stammering
• Neurodevelopmental disorders/ social communication difficulties n liaison with other professionals.
• Hoarse voice
• Eating, drinking and/or swallowing difficulties
• Young people who are in the Youth Justice System

Where we work:

We work in a range of settings including community clinics, community settings, schools, the child’s nursery/ childcare setting, and at home. We also have a Speech and Language Therapist working with neonates in Singleton Hospital to support those babies with early feeding and swallowing difficulties. In addition, there is a team of Speech and Language Therapists/ Assistants working in the Youth Justice Service and within Flying Start so we can work in a preventative way and prevent any needs escalating.

Working in partnership:

An important element of our role is to encourage and promote the development of speech, language and communication skills as well as support to prevent speech, language and communication difficulties occurring in children. We work with school staff, health visitors, nurses, GP's and voluntary organisations. We can provide training to help others support people with communication and swallowing difficulties. We also work with the Local Authorities in Swansea and Neath Port-Talbot to provide joined up care for school aged children.

For sources of further support and information for you, your family and professionals please visit the leaflets/training/useful links section of this website.

Contact Details

Email: SBU.ChildrensSpeechTherapy@wales.nhs.uk.

Telephone: 01792 517863 or 01639 862718

The email inbox and telephone line are open five days a week during normal office hours with a 24-hour voicemail service. 

Any correspondence with the department outside of these hours will be responded to as soon as possible. 

How to access these services

The age of the child or young person and what they need support with will guide how a referral to Speech and Language Therapy is made.