Helen Green, our Specialist Intervention Service Manager, recently delivered a presentation at the International AAC Conference held at the University of Leeds. Her presentation focused on the pilot project aimed at implementing the Specialist Intervention Therapeutic Team (SITT).

Following the presentation, Helen, along with Rachel Lethbridge AAC Education Advisor, wrote and published an in-depth article in the Journal of Communication Matters, ‘Coordinating a Multi-Agency Approach to Supporting the use of AAC in Specialist School Settings- case study of a Cornwall based pilot project’.

You can read the full journal article by becoming a member here: Home - Communication Matters

The trust is very proud of the work carried out by Helen and her team, so we have summarised the project in this article to celebrate this achievement and share the great work that continues to happen every day in our schools. This innovative project showcases SPT’s values of being ambitious, aspirational and purposeful, highlighting how internally driven and creative approaches to solving problems yield significant benefits for the children in our schools.

Where did this project come from?

An audit of the external services provided in our four special schools was conducted in the academic year following Covid school closures. From the results of the audit, the SIT team was commissioned. The audit identified several areas of need including a significant cohort of pupils unable to access the universal provision, children unable to access targeted interventions, high numbers of referrals and children declining while on service waiting lists.

The intent of the SIT team was to provide a sustainable intervention resource, supporting early identification of therapeutic needs and to provide fair access to therapeutic services. It also enables a professional career path for SPT staff, improving staff retention. The SIT model was designed with the intention of supporting access to AAC across all settings.

What happened during the pilot?

The project took place in four stages:

1. Addressing communication provision in the universal offer
2. Agree trust wide outcomes
3. Engaging key external services with the SIT offer and raising aspirations
4. Extending multi-agency working to all appropriate teams

The project began by looking at Quality First Teaching and developing the three pathways:

• Universal
• Targeted
• Specialist

Once these were scoped out, Helen looked at what blockers there were for moving between the pathways, skill development for the team and developing systems and processes. The final step (5) was to put the SIT team in place by upskilling staff to deliver effective research-led interventions, disseminate the knowledge from this small team to wider staff and create a robust referral system for multi-agency working. Clinical supervision from a clinician and education practitioner then ensured professional boundaries and quality assurance.

Now in its second year of implementation, the SIT team is well embedded in the four schools with four full-time SIT Coordinators. The project is also now being rolled out in two other schools that have more recently joined the trust. Going from strength to strength, the team have built their confidence in their work, and SIT has become an integral part of our schools. The children, classes and staff are reaping the rewards with timely targeted interventions and referrals being written that are more effective, meaning children are receiving the right support at the right time.