Updating the Best start in speech, language and communication (SLC) gov.uk guidance

Dates

May 2026 – March 2027

Research Team

Jenny Woodman (UCL; project co-lead), Cristina McKean (Oxford University; project co-lead), Claire Stansfield (UCL); Ellinor Olander (Thrive at Five); Vicky Gilroy (Institute of Health Visiting); Kate Hope (Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust); Nicola Childs (NHS North East & North Cumbria ICB); Diane Stoianov (UCL); Cecilia Zuniga Montanez (Oxford University)

Why we are doing this study

In October 2020, Public Health England published the Best start in speech, language and communication (SLC): Guidance to support local commissioners and service leads, alongside supporting evidence and case studies of good practice. The aim of these documents is to support commissioners and service leads to design and implement effective systems of support and provision. Since then, there have been a number of developments relevant to the guidance and the underpinning evidence.

Why this is important?

A number of reviews on relevant topics have been published since the 2020 guidance, and there is a growing recognition of whole-systems approaches to SLC. Levels of identified need and waiting times have also increased since the previous guidance. These developments create a context of evidence, demand, and service provision which is different to that of the previous guidance.

What we will do

We will undertake a review of primary studies conducted in the UK since 2016 and conduct stakeholder work with key practitioners, managers and strategic leads.

From studies included in the review, we will provide an overview of interventions or approaches at the universal, targeted, and system level that have been described/evaluated, their reported impact, barriers and facilitators to implementation, and any components reported to facilitate behaviour change in parents and/or practicioners. In focus groups and interviews with services leads, we will obtain perspectives on principles of effective commissioning, including barriers and facilitators to effective implementation. We will include exemplars of system improvements in local areas from this qualitative data.

We will also run two lay involvement workshops with parents to seek their views and perspectives.

What we will find out

The Department of Health and Social Care will update the guidance on early years speech, language, and communication. To enable this, our project will update the supporting evidence underpinning the guidance.