Kent Centre Joins Forces with Communication Access UK

We are proud to announce our participation in a new initiative to improve the lives of young people living with communication disabilities in Kent.

Our Kent centres have joined forces with Communication Access UK with the aim of giving a voice to foster children and adults, enabling better support for those facing communication difficulties.

Communication Access UK is a partnership between national charities and organisations (including the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists) that share a vision to improve the lives of people living with communication disabilities.

Together, we are working to give a voice to people living with a communication disability through the development of a new communication access symbol, the design of which followed an extensive consultation process.

The symbol will be displayed by our fostering centres in Kent whose staff will have undergone specific training to help them better support the needs of young people and adults with communication difficulties.

By becoming an ‘early adopter’ of the Communication Access Symbol, we are helping to shape the project as it is gradually rolled out across the UK. As part of this work we are also proud to be the first fostering agency to adopt the 5 Good Communication Standards for Looked After Children.

Millions of people in the UK are affected by a communication disability. Up to 20% of the UK’s population experience communication difficulty at some point in their lives, and more than 10% of all children have long-term communication needs.

ISP Director, Tracy Livesey, commented: “Looked after children may find it difficult to communicate due to the changes and circumstances they have faced, and many will have Developmental Language Disorder, which is not always recognised. This can leave many without a voice, denying them equality of access and opportunity. We believe they deserve respect and support through the care they receive.

“We are delighted to be working with Communication Access UK to support its work to give a voice to people living with a communication disability. By raising awareness, providing training, and through the introduction of a new communication access symbol, we hope to increase the confidence and independence of those living with communication difficulties, and enable our foster carers to better communicate with those they provide a loving home to.”

For further information on the project, please visit www.communication-access.co.uk.

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a foster carer and fostering allowance today or speak to our team on 0800 0857989.