Support Workers

Support workers are integral members of the speech and language therapy team employed to act in a supporting role and under the direction of a qualified speech and language therapist (SLT).

Support workers may undertake a variety of tasks, including:

• supporting clients to develop communication skills
• developing, preparing and maintaining therapeutic materials
• working with clients on a one-to-one basis, with regular monitoring and therapy programme adjustment by an SLT
• supporting and facilitating group therapy activities
• preparing and restoring environments for speech and language therapy
• clerical and administrative tasks

The roles and responsibilities of a support worker will be determined by the employing speech and language therapy service and its client groups. Support workers may be expected to work with children, elderly people, adults and people with learning disabilities. Under the supervision of a speech and language therapist, one assistant may work with a variety of client groups.

Becoming an SLT assistant

• Associate RCSLT membership
• Frequently asked questions about support workers
• Joint Statement on Foundation Degrees for support workers
• Learning and development opportunities for SLT support workers
• National/Scottish Vocational Qualification (N/SVQ) in Allied Health Profession Support: A Guide for Support Workers, Speech and Language Therapists and Managers
• Compentancies project: support practitioner framework August 2002