Debate contribution: Speech and Language Therapy: Criminal Justice System

Debate contribution by Mr Danny Donnelly on 20 February 2024.

MLA

Mr Danny Donnelly

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

20 February 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Speech and Language Therapy: Criminal Justice System

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4381146

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the UUP Members for tabling the motion. For many years, I worked with speech and language professionals in the healthcare system, and it is right that we begin by applauding the hard work of the speech and language therapists in the vital role that they play, particularly in relation to children and young people. Speech and language therapy should be seen as an early intervention that is intended to save money and resources in relation to other services. Early detection of need and early intervention is essential in ensuring that our children and young people receive the support that is necessary for them to be able to communicate their feelings. The risks from lack of intervention are clear. Up to 60% of young people in the youth justice estate were found to have communication difficulties, and 46% of those were in the "poor" or "very poor" range. We have discussed a lot of figures on this and seem to be centring on the same shocking figures. Eighty per cent of young unemployed men have an unidentified speech, language or communication need. Investment in speech and language therapy as an urgent early intervention would save money on other services by assisting rehabilitation in prisons and therefore reducing reoffending. As my colleague Stewart Dickson pointed out, that is already ongoing. Recently, the independent review of education emphasised the importance of speech and language therapy. It highlighted that the commissioning of speech and language therapy services has not maintained pace with need and that, therefore, not all children are receiving the services that they need. It is essential that vacancy rates in each trust's service are addressed urgently. As we heard earlier, we have substantial vacancies across the health and social care system. As other Members pointed out, speech and language therapy appears to be quite a sought-after career, although the number of university places seems to limit that option. Childcare is another important part of the debate that should not be underestimated. More needs to be done to connect the importance of speech and language therapy to the development of a childcare strategy, which we discussed last week. In the debate on the development of a childcare strategy, my colleagues Kate Nicholl and Nick Mathison highlighted the work that we have done as a party through our policy document on childcare, 'Children First'. In that document is a commitment for child-centred care, particularly that providers should work with speech and language therapists and other education and health professionals to provide an integrated support system for children who need such additional support to ensure that every child has the same standard of life, health and education. I welcome the proposal in the motion for a cross-departmental approach to the issue, given the overlap between Health, Education and Justice, in particular. I encourage Minister Givan to consider the importance of early intervention in speech and language therapy to the early learning childcare strategy that he intends to bring to the Executive. I also want to highlight the links between communication difficulties and mental health challenges, as Órlaithí Flynn highlighted. That concern is rightly mentioned in the motion. Its timing is appropriate, given that we marked Children's Mental Health Week earlier in February. For many children, speech, language and communication needs can impact on their ability to learn in school, make friends and join in the more sociable parts of the school day. That is exacerbated when children get older and move through the school system. Research has indicated that 45% of young people who are referred for mental health services also have communication difficulties, while 81% of children with emotional and behavioural disorders have significant language deficits that are often undefined. Proper investment in speech and language therapy can reduce many of those difficulties and therefore avoid the problems in the justice system that are often seen in later life.

648 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not qualifying

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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