Our service supports children and young people with speech, language, and communication difficulties who require extra support beyond health visiting, school, or other support services.
We provide specialised support for Autistic or ADHD children and young people, as well as those with speech sound difficulties, language difficulties, voice disorders, and social communication differences.
Additionally, we offer services for children, young people and adults who stammer, making this an all-age pathway of care.
Many of the children and young people we support may also be receiving care from other health professionals. We work collaboratively with parents, healthcare providers, social care staff, and educational settings to deliver a coordinated and effective approach.
For children and young people who require additional support around their speech, language and communication, we work closely with parent/carers, and the child/young persons' school or college, to provide tailored advice and support that can be easily integrated into their daily life.
Our service is organised into the following three teams:
Clinic Team: This team provides assessment and support for children and young people experiencing:
- Difficulties with speech sounds (pronunciation)
- Stammering (we also offer support for adults who stammer)
- Early language delay (for children under 5)
- Voice disorders
Mainstream Schools Team: For children and young people attending mainstream schools or colleges, this team offers assessment, advice, and support within their educational setting.
Complex Needs Team: This team specialises in providing comprehensive assessment, advice, and support for preschool and school-aged children and young people with complex needs.
We contact families via telephone or letter to provide appointments for assessment and/or intervention.
Generally, our service is delivered across a variety of settings. Depending on the needs of the child/young person, our appointment(s) may be held at one or more of the following locations:
- Clinics (e.g., Integrated Care Centre or Werneth Primary Care Centre),
- Child’s school / nursery
- Your home
- Family Hubs (see locations on Family Hubs)
- Appointments may also be offered over the telephone or video call.
Clinic & Mainstream Schools Teams:
Integrated Care Centre
New Radcliffe Street
Oldham
OL1 1NL
Tel: 0161 206 1452
Complex Needs Team:
Werneth Primary Care Centre
Featherstall Road South
Werneth
OL9 7AY
Tel: 0161 206 1442
Appointments are also available at Family Hubs, offering a convenient option for parents/carers who may find it difficult to travel to the ICC. Family Hubs provide accessible speech and language therapy support in community locations near your home or child’s school. Speech and Language support is available at the following Family Hubs: Beever, Madlock Vale, Spring Meadows & Stanley Road. For further details of the Oldham Family Hubs, access link from the ‘useful links’ section.
Referrals can be made into the service by anyone, with the consent of the child’s parent or carer.
We are happy to talk to anyone about making a referral. You can contact us on 0161 206 1452 or by email childsaltoldham@nca.nhs.uk
What should I include in the referral?
Before asking for Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) help, parents/carers, health visitors, schools or nurseries must try some basic support first.
Speech and Language Therapy is a specialist service, so we need to see that your child has already had help at home or in school or at nursery.
If the main concerns are around talking, understanding and/or social skills, when referring please include:
- What help has already been trialled. Often this is a plan called Plan, Do, Review. We require 2 Plan, Do, Reviews which include information on the targets set, what help has been given and how often this help has been given
- Copies of your child’s support plans (called SEN Support Plans or IEPs)
Please speak with your child’s school, nursery and/or health visitor if you need any support in gathering this information for the referral. All this information helps us to make sure your child gets help from the right team.
To learn more about this process (called the Graduated Response in Oldham), you can visit the Oldham Council website.
If your main concerns are around selective mutism, stammering, eating, drinking or swallowing, or speech sound concerns, we do not require evidence of plan, do, review.
What referral form should I use?
We use several different referrals forms, dependent on your child’s age, and the setting they are in. If you are unsure which referral form to use or require a referral form, please contact us on 0161 206 1452 or childsaltoldham@nca.nhs.uk.
We have a separate referral form for children who has difficulties with their eating, drinking and swallowing.
Why might a referral be rejected?
Sometimes, a referral to Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) may not be accepted. This can happen for a few reasons:
- There isn’t enough detail about your child’s speech, language or communication needs, or how these affect their daily life
- Some important checks or documents are missing (like parental consent, WellComm results, or speech sound screeners)
- Appropriate help and support are already in place
If a referral is not accepted, the team will send a letter explaining why. This means the referral can be updated and sent again with the right information.
BBC Tiny Happy People: Speech, language and communication advice for babies and young children aged 0-5.
Oldham Family Hubs: Offers top-tips and support around speech, language and communication for children and young people aged 0-18.
STAMMA: For support and information around stammering
Speech and Language UK: Support for parents and professionals
DLD & Me: Useful information about developmental language disorder (DLD) for children, families and professionals