Auditory Verbal UK has joined over 60 organisations in an open letter to Downing Street, urging the Government to do more to support the more than 10 per cent of children and young people in the UK who have speech, language and communication needs.

The call has been made after the 1st Anniversary Report of Bercow: Ten Years On – an independent review of the state of provision in England for children with speech, language and communication needs, published on 6 March 2019, found that while there has been encouraging and welcome action over the past year, children and young people with communication needs are still not getting the support they need.

Comprising a broad coalition of representatives working across education, health and social care, justice, disability and poverty, and including parents and carers, charities and professional bodies, the organisations have come together to call on the Prime Minister to build on the pledge she made at Prime Minister’s Questions on 21 March last year that “we do not want to see any child held back from achieving their potential, and that includes ensuring that children with speech, language and communication needs are given the support they need.”

Urgent action is needed right now so that those children and young people, their families and the professionals working with them get the help they require. That is why we have all pledged to #speakupforcommunication and #speakupforSLCN.