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www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SP2030Making it happen
• work with other relevant professions and consumer peak
bodies to provide:
•
training in person-centred practice to guide change
in organisational policy and practice;
•
voluntary assessment, feedback and accreditation
of person-centredness;
•
a voluntary system of mentoring of speech
pathologists by clients to advance person-centred
practice; and
•
peer mentors for clients with similar needs.
• work with clients to design service models that:
•
respond to client needs and preferences, including
when, where and how services are delivered; and
•
incorporate each client’s story, goals, culture,
experiences of language, perspectives on well-
being, and relationship to their community.
• ensure all clients, and the community, are provided with
information about what to expect from a high-quality
speech pathology service;
• research the process, impacts and outcomes of person-
centred practice;
• develop and ensure access to information for clients on
established and emerging interventions for different clinical
presentations, including the strength of available evidence
for different client groups;
• involve clients in:
•
establishing and administering standards for
professional ethics and quality practice;
•
accreditation processes for pre-entry training
programs;
•
prioritising, developing and delivering key areas
of the speech pathology pre-entry curriculum and
continuing professional development program;
•
determining research priorities, conducting
research and interpreting research findings;
•
relevant committees and programs of Speech
Pathology Australia; and
•
planning, evaluation and governance of clinical
services and community capacity building
programs.
• ensure appropriate compensation for clients who play a
role in contributing their skills and experience to the service
system.
At the Inala Hearing Health Hub, the
Queensland Health Deadly Ears team
works with Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander children and families
using a family-centred consultation
model. The model is informed by
family-centred coaching models
and models for single session work
and was developed by trialling and
adapting different approaches to
best suit the clinic context. The team
is now researching how the model
contributes to the quality of their
engagement with families.
In the knowledge that some families
may only ever access a single session,
the emphasis is on getting the best
possible outcomes from every single
encounter. Each cycle of contact
involves an initial phone call, a face-
to-face session and a follow-up phone
call. The focus is on the family’s story,
goals and concerns; what the issues
mean to them; what they think might
help the most and be achievable
for their family; and how their child’s
strengths and passions can be used
to support their development. The
professional’s skills and knowledge are
used to support the family’s specific
goals and to help them make the
most of the knowledge, expertise and
opportunities they have. A Deadly
Ears speech pathologist, said:
“This is a very different way of working
than the ‘expert model’ we’re used
to. There are times when it can initially
feel incredibly difficult. You might think
that a different path is needed than
what the family might be suggesting
and you can feel a lot of conflict
about that. But with experience
you realise that what might be right
‘technically’ doesn’t always bring the
best outcomes. Taking a path that
doesn’t suit the family or that they
aren’t ready for can get in the way of
the relationship and trust you have
built. This could then mean you risk
losing the opportunity to support them
at all.”
She explained that the relationship is
key.
“Even though you have only just met,
if they see that you really are there
just for them and what’s important
to them, the relationship builds so
quickly. The follow-up phone call is
very powerful—the fact that you cared
enough to recontact them to see how
they were going.”
Leading the way...
Deadly Ears, Queensland Health
As we step into the future, the speech pathology profession will: