18 May 2007
RCSLT:DFES plan for young offenders is lost opportunity
For immediate release. Page one of two
More is needed to improve young offenders' communication skills if the DfES scheme to help them is to be truly successful, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists says.
The RCSLT welcomes yesterday's announcement by the DfES of employment-focused learning and skills training to help young offenders, but says that without speech and language therapy input many will be unable to benefit.
According to the RCSLT, more than 60% of the 11,000-plus young offenders in institutions today lack the communication skills to take part in educational programmes, courses in behaviour and anger management, and initiatives designed to improve their thinking skills.
The RCSLT highlights the fact that 24,000 young offenders in England and Wales have a learning disability or difficulty which impacts upon their ability to cope with the prison regime.
RCSLT CEO Kamini Gadhok says the DfES screening tool will fail to identify young people who lack communication skills: the very group they are trying to help.
"The RCSLT looks forward to working with the Department to develop a screening tool to detect learning disabilities and communication difficulties among children and young people on their first contact with the criminal justice system," Ms Gadhok adds.
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Notes for editors:
· The RCSLT comments reinforce Conservative MP John Bercow's early day motion in April on Communication Difficulties and Young Offenders. This can be found at http://edmi.parliament.uk/edmi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33066&SESSION=885- Read the BBC online article Communication skills 'cut re-offending' at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6449511.stm
Read the former Chief Inspector of Prisons, Lord Ramsbotham's, statement to the House of Lords on the value of speech and language therapy in prisons on the parliament website
- The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) is the professional body for speech and language therapists in the UK and has over 13,000 members. It is responsible for setting, promoting and maintaining high standards in education, clinical practice and ethical conduct. Visit: www.rcslt.org for more information.
For more information visit: www.rcslt.org
For further information contact:
Steven Harulow, tel: 020 7378 3004, email: steven.harulow@rcslt.org
For more information contact Steven Harulow, email: steven.harulow@rcslt.org tel: 020 7378 3004