Patrick and his mum Sarah at a speech and language therapy session.

A new film explaining the importance of speech and language therapy has been launched by therapists in Evelina London’s community services.

Parents whose children need speech and language therapy often have lots of questions about what they can expect from the sessions and what difference it will make. The film, called Giving Voice, aims to help parents understand why their child’s speech and language therapy sessions are so important.

Our speech and language therapists offer specialist advice, assessment and help for children and young people who have difficulties with any aspect of their communication. From in-school and community group sessions to one on one work with children and parents, the team tailor their support to the need of each child. This new film explains the different types of therapy and explains the roles of staff who are involved in helping children to communicate better. Parents in the film explain how life-changing the speech and language therapy sessions have been for them and their child.

Dr Sara Hanna, Medical Director of Evelina London, said: “The film demonstrates the positive impact that speech and language therapy has for children and their parents.

“It gives children the tools to improve their communication and we hope that the film will be encouraging for parents who might not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Derek Munn, of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, added: “One in ten of children has speech, language and communication needs.

“Knowing what you want to say but not being able to say it is very frustrating so it's important that children who have these difficulties are supported. Communication is everybody's business. This film will help parents see how we can help their children reach their full potential.”

You can find out more about appointments and watch the film on our community speech and language therapy webpages.

The film was made possible thanks to funding from the Fit for the Future programme. The community speech and language therapy team wanted to help parents better understand their service and so pitched the idea of a film to a Dragons’ Den style panel. The panel are part of an initiative for staff which provides support and funding for innovative ideas. Their idea was accepted and the team received funding for a production crew to create and edit the film.