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86

JCPSLP

Volume 14, Number 2 2012

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

Their communication difficulties compound a lack of social

infrastructure. This highlights an urgent need for capacity

building.

There is a dearth of published information about the

application of capacity building to people with complex

communication needs. More research is needed into

the efficacy of this approach as well as strategies and

resources to assist in successful capacity building with this

population.

The application of capacity building approaches to

people with complex communication needs is a new

and complex enterprise. Consideration should be given

to how people with complex communication needs and

speech pathologists can be adequately trained, resourced,

and supported to undertake effective and meaningful

community projects.

References

Atkinson, R., & Willis, P. (n.d.).

Community capacity

building: A practical guide

. Paper no. 6. Hobart, Tas.:

Housing and Community Research Unit, University of

Tasmania. Retrieved from

http://www.chs.ubc.ca/archives/

files/Community%20Capacity-Building%20A%20

Practical%20Guide.pdf

Balandin, S. (2002). Message from the president.

ISAAC

Bulletin

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67

, 2.

Charity commission. (2000). The promotion of

community capacity building. Retrieved from: http://www.

charitycommission.gov.uk/Library/guidance/rr5.pdf

Craig, G. (2007). Community capacity-building: Something

old, something new...?

Critical Social Policy

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27

, 335–359.

Crisp, B. R., Swerissen, H., & Duckett, S. J. (2000). Four

approaches to capacity building in health: Consequences

for measurement and accountability.

Health Promotion

International

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(2), 99-107.

Department of Health. (2011).

Integrated health

promotion in action

. Retrieved from

www.health.vic.gov.au/

healthpromotion/steps/implementation

Department of Sustainability and the Environment.

(2005). Effective engagement: Building relationships with

community and other stakeholders. Retrieved from http://

www.dse.vic.gov.au/effective-engagement

Hounslow, B. (2002). Community capacity building

explained.

Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin

,

1

,

20–22.

Lovell, S. A., Kearns, R. A., & Rosenberg, M. W. (2011).

Community capacity building in practice: Constructing

its meaning and relevance to health promoters.

Health &

Social Care in the Community

,

19

, 531–540.

McLennan, F., Vickers, K., Mason, K., Bloomberg,

K., Leadbetter, V., & Engel, M. (2006). Capacity building

and complex communication needs: A new approach

to specialist speech pathology services in rural Victoria.

Australian Journal of Primary Health

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12

, 66–74.

NSW Health. (2001). A framework for building capacity to

improve health. Retrieved from

http://www.health.nsw.gov

.

au/pubs/2001/framework_improve.html

Perry, A., Reilly, S., Bloomberg, K., & Johnson, H. (2002).

An analysis of needs for people with a disability who have

complex communication needs

. Melbourne: La Trobe

University.

Queensland Government. (2011) Actively engaging

people with a disability. Retrieved from

www.qld.gov.au/

web/community-engagement/guides-factsheets/people-

disabilities/actively-engaging.html

Queensland Health. (2003). Integrating public health

practices: A position statement on community capacity

can be helpful. Ensuring that meetings take place at

times and venues that are convenient to attendees is also

useful. Speech pathologists and project teams can work

collaboratively with advocacy groups as well as disability

support services in order to reach more isolated and less

empowered community members.

Speech pathologists generally have many skills in

facilitating the inclusion of people who have communication

difficulties in community projects. In some cases it is

necessary to have resources such as meeting agendas and

partnership agreements in accessible formats. Depending

on their experience, some project participants may benefit

from training in meeting procedure and etiquette. Others

may wish to attend meetings in an observer’s capacity

before being expected to contribute. It is often helpful to

allow extra time for meetings and consultations, to permit

people who use augmentative communication systems

the time needed to have their say. Sending out meeting

agendas in advance also allows participants to pre-program

appropriate vocabulary into their communication devices.

Another way of involving people with diverse

communication skills in a project is to have a range of roles

available to cater for different skills and interests. Such

roles may include project planning, trainer/co-trainer and

evaluation assistant. Some projects, such as police training

call for practice communication partners, where trainees

have the opportunity to practise conversing with people

with complex communication needs.

If speech pathologists are to undertake capacity building,

relevant training needs to be available, either in entry-level

courses, or through postgraduate study. Similarly, project

managers from other disciplines need training in complex

communication needs, to allow participation of people with

complex communication needs in broader capacity building

projects.

In order for capacity building to be valued and funded

within speech pathology, there must be an evidence base

to support it. Projects must have clear evaluations. There

is a wide range of qualitative and quantitative evaluations

which can be applied to capacity building projects (Simister

& Smith, 2010). Whichever methods are selected, it is vital

to audit the capacity building process as well as evaluating

project outcomes. This will guide other practitioners in

developing effective capacity building projects. Where

possible project audits and evaluations should be published

in order to increase the body of knowledge available to the

profession.

Directions for future research

There is a great need for research into the applications and

efficacy of capacity building with people with complex

communication needs. In particular it would be useful to

know what capacity building methodologies have been

used with people with complex communication needs; the

effectiveness or otherwise of these methodologies; and

strategies for successful community engagement of people

with complex communication needs. In addition there is a

need for a broad needs-analysis to determine what projects

have been undertaken to increase communication

accessibility in the community; what further needs are

identified by communities with complex communication

needs, either locally or on a wider (e.g., national) scale; and

what priorities are identified for future projects.

Conclusion

People with complex communication needs form a

fragmented and diverse community with low social capital.