CEREBRA voucher for Speech Therapy

[Sally44]

Just wanted to post about this for any parents who are struggling to get Speech Therapy input or assessments via the school/NHS.

There are conditions ie. child has to have a Statement or be on School Action Plus. But well worth looking into to save some money and get evidence of needs and a requirement for provision in school, or to use as evidence towards a Statement etc.

 

http://www.cerebra.org.uk/parent_support/support/speech_therapy

 

Just wanted to add it is available for children in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Sally44

[KezT]

thanks Sally - that sounds AMAZING <'>

[Sally44]

It probably involves a fair amount of paperwork. But you sometimes find that if the Speech Therapist provider is aware of this voucher they maybe able to assist in this paperwork. I am presuming that this is 'therapy' and not an assessment report. However the speech therapist would have to carry out assessments to determine what the need was. That in itself could be useful, especially if they find that there is a need.

[Karen A]

I have discovered the charity has a lending library for books and sensory equipment that looks excellent too.There is a huge range of books on ASD,disability and many other related issues.

It may be very useful for those who do not have [or may soon not have ] a local library which is well stocked.

I was about to post a thread on resources but Tally has already gone before me.... by seven months.

 

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/Index.php?/topic/24097-cerebra-postal-lending-library/

 

Karen.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Karen A

[KarenT]

I qualified for a voucher over a year ago when J was already being home educated - no statement and obviously not at SA+ as he was no longer in school. My family support worker at Barnardo's did the paperwork. She wrote a report about J's longstanding social communication problems that had not been supported in school, and carefully mentioned that he'd been at SA+ before being withdrawn. IIRC I did a report myself giving my reasons why I thought he should be considered for the scheme. We got a reply within a couple of weeks.

 

The only snag I found is that they give you a very limited list of SALTs who will accept the vouchers, as Cerebra's scheme only covers practitioners who are listed on a specific professional register (forget the name now). There were very few in our area and I only found one who was willing to work with us, and she dropped us after about four sessions to take a career break. However, I have since found out that other SALTs not named on Cerebra's list DO work with the voucher scheme so it's worth asking around just in case, though obviously that means more phone calling for you.

 

It's a great scheme though. J was never going to get SALT on the NHS with his very specific needs and although we only had a few sessions with our therapist she was very helpful while we had her and I learned a lot - certainly enough to be better equipped to support his needs myself. Definitely worth going for.

 

I didn't get a report though, although I was supposed to. Unfortunately our therapist disappeared off the face of the earth and didn't tie up loose ends before she stopped working for us, but it was definitely what she was supposed to do. Perhaps specifying from the outset that you'd like a report would be a good idea, to be on the safe side.

 

 

Karen

x

[lil_me]

Yes I know a few parents who got the vouchers but couldn't find a therapist with the time. It's a shame but there is a huge shortage of speech therapists