SP 2030 Final Report low res

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To help support timely access to services we will increase the
knowledge of the community and our professional colleagues
regarding the role of speech pathology; the causes and early
signs of communication, eat and drinking difficulties; evidence
for the benefits of timely referral and intervention; and options
for service access.
We recognise the opportunities technology provides for
facilitating more timely delivery of services. We will use these
tools to their full capacity and lead development of new
technology to meet the specific needs of different client groups.
Whether someone is an adult or a child, regardless of the cause
of their difficulties with communication, eating or drinking, we
know the more timely the supports, the better the outcome.
We will advocate for this principle to guide policy directions;
program funding, design and implementation; and the
contribution we make to each and every individual
we work with.
Making it happen
• build a strong evidence-base demonstrating the economic
and social return on investment from speech pathologists
undertaking community capacity building, prevention and
early intervention;
• advocate to government, funding bodies, and employers
to prioritise evidence-based universal capacity building,
prevention, and early intervention;
• develop the knowledge and skills of speech pathologists in
designing, implementing and evaluating universal, whole-
of-population, programs and develop, deliver and evaluate
universal programs for a range of community groups and
needs;
• work towards all early childhood education services, and
primary and high schools integrating teaching and speech
pathology expertise to support academic success;
• establish effective early referral and prioritisation systems to
speech pathology for:
• parents whose baby is diagnosed with a condition
prenatally or immediately postnatally that is likely
to impact their communication, or eating and
drinking;
• children and young people with needs that may be
associated with or result in communication, such
as behaviour difficulties and learning difficulties;
and
• people with acquired and progressive conditions
that may impact communication, eating and
drinking, such as stroke, accidents, brain injury or
cancer.
• contribute to pre-entry and ongoing training of our
professional colleagues to ensure they have relevant
knowledge of the causes and indicators of communication,
eating and drinking difficulties; evidence for timely referral
and intervention; and options for service access;
• lead and use new and emerging technology to assist the
early identification and prioritisation of people of all ages
with diverse communication, eating and drinking needs;
• conduct a regular workforce census to monitor, and plan
for, workforce capacity, distribution and capability to deliver
timely services; and
• establish a mechanism for providing the public and other
professionals in each state and territory with current
information regarding speech pathology services in the
jurisdiction.
As we step into the future, the speech pathology profession will: