Skip to main content

Dr Erin Dysart and Dr Aimee Code talk about their work on Early Talk for York and the use of the WellComm Toolkit

Date
Dr Erin Dysart and Dr Aimee Code talk about their work on Early Talk for York and the use of the WellComm Toolkit

ICY Researchers Dr Erin Dysart and Dr Aimee Code talk about their work on Early Talk for York and the use of the WellComm Toolkit:

Early Talk for York is a whole-systems approach set up by the City of York Council in 2018 to enhance children’s speech, language and communication. It utilises a step approach so early years settings can work through the steps in a way that meets their setting needs. At the first step of the approach is embedded use of the WellComm toolkit, a screening tool which practitioners use to identify children with speech, language and communication needs. The toolkit also contains an intervention (Big Book of ideas (BBOI)) which can be used to target the needs identified.

Funding gained from the York Policy Engine enabled us to evaluate the use of the WellComm toolkit across settings in York who were part of the Early Talk for York programme. We used a mixed methods approach by the way of a survey and interviews.

The key findings from the evaluation (Use of the WellComm Toolkit in Eary Talk for York (ETFY) Setting: Evaluation Report, 2023) were:

Positive feedback

  • The screening tool was described as straightforward and easy to use. The BBOI was also described as easy and engaging for children.
  • The toolkit reportedly helped practitioners to develop their knowledge about speech, language, and communication, and to identify and support children.
  • Putting BBOI activities in place reportedly resulted in significant improvements in children’s speech, language, and communication.
  • The WellComm toolkit reportedly decreased the quantity of referrals to SAL, whilst increasing the quality and specificity of referrals.

Areas for further development

  • Settings use the screening tool at different frequencies. The approach to administering the screen also varies across settings.
  • Staff sometimes report using their own judgement to decide if a child could meet criteria for an assessment section rather than carrying out the entirety of the screen.
  • Although the screening tool was described as useful in identifying children with language and communication needs, data showed that the screening tool appears less accurate for EAL, SEND, or less confident children. Many respondents also discussed needing additional support in adapting the BBOI activities for EAL or SEND children.
  • Time constraints, insufficient staffing, and lack of access to important resources were reported as a barrier to using the screen and BBOI.

The results were used by the City of York Council to improve the provision offered. In addition, the finding that the toolkit supported the knowledge of practitioners was further investigated. We found that the enhanced knowledge of practitioners through use of the toolkit had implications for research. The screening tool has been used in evaluation as a measure of impact. However, given the toolkit itself can enhance the knowledge of practitioners this means that the impact it may be measuring is not just the impact of an implemented intervention but it could also be an impact of the use of the toolkit itself (Dysart & Code, 2024).

 

(January 2024)