Training for professionals, parents and carers
Training is available to parents and carers in Lambeth and Southwark and to professionals working with children and young people in Lambeth, Southwark and beyond.
We offer a variety of formats for our training sessions: live webinars, self-directed e-learning, and face to face classroom sessions when we are able to offer these again.
How to book
Most courses are free for parents or carers of children known to our service. Training is free for Lambeth schools.
To apply for a course, please email gst-tr.contactslt@nhs.net giving the following information.
Parents
- Name
- Course you are applying for
- Number of places you would like
- Contact number
- Postcode
- Borough
Professionals
- Name
- Course you are applying for
- Number of places you would like
- Name of organisation
- Name of finance contact, finance contact number, billing address and email address to send the invoice to (if applicable)
- Purchase order number
Please contact us at the email address above if you would like to discuss bespoke training for your setting.
Have a look at our Facebook page for training updates and tips.
- Cost: £90 for professionals or £10 for parents and carers
- Dates: Wednesday 5 June and Wednesday 3 July 2024
(both sessions need to be attended)
- Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm
- Delivery: classroom learning
At the end of the course participants should be able to:
- identify and explore relevant topics for a talking mat
- understand and use the talking mats framework
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
At the end of the course participants should know:
- the causes and triggers of stammering
- how to create an environment that can support fluency and stammering
- how to support the child or young person to be a confident communicator
Recommended for anyone working with children and young people over the age of 9 who stammer.
- Cost: £80 for 2 half-day webinars
- Date: Tuesday 27 February 2024
- Time: 9.30am to 11.30am
- Date: Wednesday 28 February 2024
- Time: over 5 workshop, 9.30 to 11.30am, under 5 workshop 1.30pm to 3.30pm
The course will help you to:
- gain an understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- understand the range of communication, interaction and behaviour difficulties associated with ASD
- explore a range of strategies to support children with ASD under or over 5 years old
Recommended for teachers, support staff, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and any other professionals.
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
This course will help you to:
- develop greater awareness about how Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents in girls
- increase your understanding of how this may appear at school and at home
- increase your knowledge of support and resources for girls with ASD
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
Dates available on request.
A 7-week free course for parents and carers who have a primary or secondary aged child with a diagnosis of developmental language disorder (DLD). The sessions will be delivered virtually in the evening. These sessions have been developed by Afasic and NAPLIC.
This course will help you to:
- understand DLD and how it applies to your child
- develop strategies to support your child at home
- gain ideas for how to support your child’s learning
- meet other families of children with DLD
Recommended for parents and carers in Lambeth or Southwark with a child diagnosed with developmental language disorder.
- Cost: £325 plus VAT e-learning plus 10 virtual group tutorials or £400 with an individual follow-up session in setting
- Delivery: e-learning with weekly tutorials
This course will help you to:
- be more effective in supporting children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)
- identify the needs of the child and give practical strategies to support the child more effectively
Recommended for early years practitioners.
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
This course will help you to:
- identify why it is important to get the pupils' views
- describe the process and approaches for collecting a pupil’s views
- plan how to implement an appropriate approach for collecting a pupil’s views
- feel more confident in using a range of approaches to collect a pupil’s views
Recommended for: class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
- Cost: £120 (free for children's centres and LEAP settings who are participating in the LEAP Evelina Award programme)
- Date: dates for the 3-part course are given on request
- Time: 9.30am to 3.30pm
- Delivery: live webinar
The course will help you to:
- develop an understanding of speech and language development in children aged between 0 and 5 years
- identify children with possible difficulties in understanding and using language
- develop an understanding of the wider impact of speech and language difficulties
- explore strategies and activities that can be used in pre-school settings to influence language development
- develop an understanding of English as an additional language and communication development
Delivery: e-learning course
This course will give an overview of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in schools and how to support them.
There will be opportunities to focus on strategies for specific key stages (please specify whether you would like to focus on primary or secondary education in your application).
The course will help you to:
- develop an understanding of how speech, language and communication skills develop in pupils across their academic life
- support identification of students with possible SLCN
- increase understanding of how language and communication difficulties can impact on pupils’ access to the national curriculum
- explore strategies that can be used to influence language development and access to the curriculum
- provide practical activities to support pupils with language and communication difficulties
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
- Delivery: e-learning
- Cost: £30
This course will help you to:
- understand the Zones of Regulation approach and how it can help children and young people
- feel confident in using the Zones of Regulation in your educational setting
- learn about where you can seek further information and resources related to this approach
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
This course will help you to:
- explore some key messages about bilingualism
- increase confidence around having conversations with parents and colleagues
- signpost families to where to find more information about bilingualism
Recommended for teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and early years practitioners.
- Cost: £40
- Dates: Wednesday 19 June 2024
- Time: 3.30pm to 5pm
- Delivery: classroom learning
An introduction to LEGO therapy is a simple, effective approach that uses LEGO to help children and young people develop their attention and listening, turn taking, communication and interaction skills. It is relevant for use with children with a wide range of needs and across a range of settings.
The course will help you to:
- introduce participants to the background and principles of LEGO therapy
- identify the skills needed to carry out LEGO therapy
- think creatively about how to use LEGO therapy in your own setting
Recommended for parents and carers, class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), support staff, and other professionals working with children and young people with social communication and language difficulties.
Dates:
- Wednesday 15 November 2023,10.30am to midday
- Thursday 11 January 2024,1pm to 2.30pm
- Friday 1 March 2024, 4.30pm to 6pm
These are fun and interactive small group virtual sessions for anyone interested in learning about Makaton.
This course will give you an insight into Makaton, including:
- what it is and how it can support communication
- approximately 30 Makaton signs and symbols
- thow Makaton can be used at home, school, nursery or other settings
Recommended for anyone who is interested in finding out about Makaton or anyone who is interested in attending further training such as a level 1 or 2 workshop in the future.
- Cost: £80 for professionals, £20 for parents and carers (cost is inclusive of course materials)
- Dates: Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 October 2023, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 May 2024
- Time: 9.30am to 4.30pm
- Delivery: classroom learning
The level 1 workshop will:
- provide information on the use and purpose of Makaton and give an overview of this system of communication
- introduce you to the signs and symbols from stages 1 and 2 and some additional Makaton core vocabulary
- explore ways of using Makaton signs and symbols.
The level 2 workshop will:
- introduce you to signs and symbols from stages 3 and 4 and some additional Makaton core vocabulary
- explore ways of using Makaton signs and symbols
Recommended for Pprofessionals who need to use Makaton in their work and parents andcarers of children with speech, language or communication difficulties who live in Lambeth or Southwark.
- Cost: £550
- Delivery: a 2-day course and a 1-day tutorial in a classroom setting
The course is based on case discussions around allocated cases and will include a series of short lectures, group discussions and participant presentations. You'll be asked to bring cases including a video case study from your own practice to discuss at the tutorial.
To attend the course you must be a speech and language therapist with paediatric dysphagia training and experience. You will also need:
- previous theoretical training in infant dysphagia if possible
- some experience of having observed or worked with infants under 12 months old with dysphagia with or without support
- the opportunity to observe or work with at least 1 infant between the workshop and the tutorial (contact us if you are unable to organise this as we may be able to support you)
By the end of the course you'll be able to:
- apply theoretical knowledge about infant feeding difficulties to clinical practice
- manage infants with feeding and swallowing difficulties with supervision
- carry out a comprehensive assessment to evaluate feeding and swallowing difficulties in infants
- develop a holistic management plan for infants with feeding difficulties
- use a range of compensatory and rehabilitative intervention approaches for infants with feeding difficulties
A practical approach to assessing and managing children and young people with dysphagia.
This is a 4-day course and a 1-day tutorial.The course consists of lectures, practical sessions and discussion. Full participation in the 5 days is essential.
To attend the course you must be a qualified speech and language therapists with up to date registration with HCPC. You'll also need:
- some experience of having observed or worked with children and young adults with dysphagia with or without support
- access to an active caseload of children and young people with dysphagia
- access to an identified supervisor with specialised knowledge in paediatric dysphagia
The course will help you to:
- apply theoretical knowledge about children and young people’s eating and drinking difficulties to clinical practice
- assess, diagnose and manage their dysphagia with supervision such as second opinions and support as needed
- consider the ethical and legal challenges faced with managing children and young people with dysphagia
- Cost: £90
- Date: Wednesday 8 November 2023
- Time: 9.30am to 3pm
- Course outline: this is an awareness building session for the picture exchange communication system (PECS)
The professionals running the course are fully trained in the implementation of PECS by pyramid education consultants.
Information on the full PECS training provided by pyramid education consultants will be provided on the day.
The course will help you to:
- understand the 6 phases of PECS
- help children to use this system with support from your speech and language therapist or other professionals
- know where you can seek further information and training related to PECS
Recommended for parents and carers, class teachers and support staff.
This course will help you to:
- support your child’s transition into primary school
- find out about strategies around areas such as play, language and social communication
- learn who to ask for further support
A 2-part webinar:
- Dates: Wednesday 8 and Wednesday 15 May 2024
- Time: session 1, 9.30am to12.30pm, session 2, 1am to 4pm
- Delivery: live webinar
Please note this course will not cover autism specific theory and strategies.
This course will help you to:
- develop an understanding of how communication difficulties may impact on a child or young person with behaviour that challenges or social emotional and mental health needs (for example disruption, school refusal, aggression, defiance and anxiety)
- develop an understanding of the links between language and emotional regulation
- look at challenging behaviour more holistically and identify communication needs as part of a profile
- identify strategies and approaches to support communication and relationship building
Recommended for staff working with children who are at a conversational level and who present with behaviour that challenges.
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
This course will help you to:
- gain a more in-depth understanding of selective mutism
- identify children with selective mutism in nursery and school settings
- use practical strategies to support a child with selective mutism more effectively
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
This course will help you to:
- develop an understanding of the causes of behavioural feeding difficulties and their contributing factors.
- support children and young people more effectively with behavioural feeding difficulties or extreme fussy eating
- describe the causes and maintaining factors of a behavioural feeding difficulty
- identify a range of practical strategies to support a child or young person with a behavioural feeding difficulty in different mealtime contexts
- show understanding of the importance of mealtime structure and routine
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs), support staff, parents and carers.
- Cost: £40
- Date: Tuesday 14 November 2023
- Time: 9.15am to midday
- Delivery: live webinar
This course will help you to:
- understand typical speech sound development in children so you can more easily identify children who are presenting with speech sound difficulties.
- explore strategies and activities that can be used in the school settings to support and influence speech sound development
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
This course will help you to:
- understand the importance of vocabulary development for children
- understand some of the main principles of word learning
- be familiar with the STAR approach
- be familiar with a range of resources to support word learning.
- Cost: £30
- Delivery: e-learning
This course will help you to:
- develop basic knowledge of a range of visual support systems including Makaton signing, PECS, schedules and communication books
- explore the use of visuals in routines and class environments
- learn about adapting your communication style to support children’s learning and communication
- consider how to implement in these in your own setting
Recommended for class teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) and support staff.
- Cost: £50, 50% discount for students and some free places are available for local residents
- Date: Wednesday 25 October 2023
- Time: 9.15am to 1pm
- Delivery: live webinar
The course will help you to:
- understand speech and language therapy as a profession and a possible career
- meet a range of speech and language therapists working with different specialist client groups
- listen to a newly qualified speech and language therapist reflect on their first role and answer questions about their experience entering the profession
Recommended for anybody who is considering a career as a speech and language therapist.
This session will support you to:
- transition from primary to secondary school or to further education settings
- gain ideas and advice around areas including organisation, friendships, vocabulary learning and study skills
Recommended for parents and pupils.
Dates available on request
- Cost: £55
- Delivery: live webinar
This course will teach you how to use the WellComm screening toolkit with children from 6 months to 6 years old. The trainer will use a range of video examples and practical activities to ensure that you have the opportunity to see the screening tool in action and to practise making decisions about scoring and next steps.
It is essential that you have a copy of the WellComm screening tool to refer to throughout the session.
By the end of the course you will know how to:
- administer the WellComm screening toolkit
- calculate a child’s WellComm score using the traffic light scoring system
- take appropriate next steps for children identified as needing further support
Recommended for professionals who work with children from 6 months to 6 years old.
This session will help you to:
- find out about how Evelina London speech and language therapists work in schools
- gain an understanding around different types of support for speech, language and communication needs
- know where to go for further advice
Recommended for patients and carers.