Who we are and what we do

Our Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service is a specialist service supporting children and young people aged 0-19 with speech, language and communication needs. Support is also given to children and young people with eating and drinking disorders.

Young people aged 19-25 are also supported with education, health and care plans.

Our team provides assessments, diagnosis and treatments for children and young people with:

• language and communication needs (including developmental language disorder)
• specific difficulties in producing speech sounds
• hearing impairment
• stammering
• autism/social interaction difficulties
• voice disorders
• selective mutism

Throughout the last year we have been offering virtual appointments via video or telephone with some great success and great feedback.  We will continue to offer some appointments in this way, allowing people to have the support they need in the comfort of their own homes.  However if we feel a face to face appointment is needed, we will offer this with the appropriate PPE and safety measures in place.

How to access the service

Accessing the service is by referral only and children and young people must be registered with a Wirral GP.

Referrals can come from a range of healthcare professionals including health visitors, allied health professionals, GPs, paediatric consultants, school special education needs coordinators and nursery managers.

Healthcare professionals can access electronic referral forms via SystmOne. GPs can use their own single access referral form.

Referrals from other professionals can be completed and emailed or posted. Follow this link to access the relevant documents from the website: How to access the service – Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (wchc.nhs.uk)

Community Clinics

• St Catherine’s Health Centre, Derby Road, Birkenhead CH42 0LQ
• Victoria Central Health Centre, Mill Lane, Wallasey CH44 5UF

Children’s Centres

• Brassey Gardens Children’s Centre, 2 Brassey Street, Birkenhead CH41 8DA
• Bromborough Children’s Centre, Gratrix Road, Wirral CH62 7BW
• Seacombe Children’s Centre, St Pauls Road, Wallasey CH44 7AN

Specialist Multi-Disciplinary Team clinics

Feeding Clinic – Arrowe Park Hospital, Arrowe Park Road,Upton CH49 5PE

Group Training and Therapy

These sessions are currently being offered virtually.

Patient Education sessions:

• Community Centre, St Catherine’s Health Centre, Derby Road, Birkenhead CH42 0LQ
• Albert Lodge, Victoria Central Health Centre, Mill Lane, Wallasey CH44 5UF

School clinics

• mainstream primary and secondary schools
• primary and secondary special schools

Specialist Bases

• Language Base, Devonshire Park Primary School, Temple Road, Prenton, Birkenhead CH42 9JX
• Language Base, The Priory CE Primary School, 1 Aberdeen St, Birkenhead CH41 4HS
• Language Base, New Brighton Primary School, Vaughan Road, Wallasey CH45 1LH
• Hearing Support Base, Townfield Primary School, Townfield Lane, Birkenhead, CH43 2L

Home visits

Wirral wide

Advice documents

These can be accessed via the website on a range of topics using the link: Resources – Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (wchc.nhs.uk)

Useful websites

Wirral Community Health and care NHS Foundation Trust: https://www.wchc.nhs.uk
Wirral Children’s Speech and Language Therapy: https://www.wchc.nhs.uk/services/childrens-speech-language-therapy/
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists: https://www.rcslt.org
Talking point: https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/
The Communication Trust: https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk
Hanen: www.hanen.org/Home.aspx
Action for Stammering children: https://actionforstammeringchildren.org
Stamma: https://stamma.org/get-support
Selective mutism: www.selectivemutism.org.uk (SMIRA)