Anyone can make a referral to Speech and Language Therapy, including parents, carers, education and healthcare professionals.
Please try the following before making a referral:
- Use the UNIVERSAL advice and resources on our website
- Speak to your child’s nursery, school or health visitor
- Try suggested strategies for at least 6–8 weeks
- Check your child’s hearing and general development
For many children, these steps are enough to support progress without specialist input.
We accept referrals for children and young people who:
- Are aged between 0-18 (up to 19 with an Education, Health and Care Plan)
- Have a GP in the HDFT footprint
- Have persistent speech, language or communication difficulties that are not improving following implementation of universal advice
- Have needs that are impacting learning, social interaction or wellbeing
- Require specialist assessment or advice (for example, possible complex needs or Alternative and Augmentative Communication)
- Have eating, drinking or swallowing difficulties
We may not accept referrals where:
- Needs are in line with typical development
- Advice and strategies have not yet been tried
- Difficulties are short-term or expected to resolve