Who is responsible for Speech and Language Therapy if a child is Statemented?
The prime responsibility for the provision of Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) services to children has rested with the NHS since 1974. If your child has a statement of Special Education Needs, Speech and Language Therapy can be specified in either educational- (part 3) or non-educational provision (part 6). If the provision of SLT is stated to be educational and included in part 3 of your child’s statement, the LEA is ultimately responsible for securing the provision. The NHS is not under a statutory duty to provide SLT even if specified in a statement. If the provision of SLT is regarded as non-educational and specified in part 6 of the statement, the LEA has the power to arrange the provision specified, but is not under a legal duty to do so. Please contact the Local Education Authority at John Smith House for further information.
