As part of the OneWolverhampton partnership’s commitment to providing more care and support closer to home, the Speech and Language Therapy service has been working in Wolverhampton’s Best Start Family Hubs to provide early support for children with speech, language and communication needs.
City of Wolverhampton Council is one of their partners working with OneWolverhampton, a collaboration of health, social care, voluntary, and community organisations working together for better health and care across the city.
By adopting a population health approach, OneWolverhampton and partners aim to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wolverhampton, focusing on both physical and mental health to help reduce health inequalities across the city.
Using a balanced universal, targeted and specialist approach, therapists Sherelle Price and Joanna Williams have joined Stay and Play sessions at Best Start Family Hubs to offer reassurance, practical advice and early assessment in familiar community settings.
Since November 2024, more than 200 families have engaged with the project.
Across these sessions, parents have reported reduced concern and increased confidence in supporting their child’s communication following short, practical input.
One parent said: “I’ve been following the advice, and my child is making progress.” Feedback consistently highlighted the value of quick reassurance and practical strategies that could be used straight away at home.
Around one in five children were assessed directly at the Best Start Family Hubs, with most not previously known to the service. This highlights strong early identification and the benefit of meeting families in community settings rather than traditional clinical pathways.
Working closely with Universal Service Practitioners has been central to the success of the model, helping to strengthen signposting and reach families who may not typically access clinic-based services.
As Sherelle reflected: “This approach has helped us reach families earlier in places they already feel comfortable; it’s made a real difference to parents’ confidence in supporting their child’s communication.”
Joanna added: “Being able to offer advice and reassurance in the moment in a familiar setting such as a Best Start Family Hub has helped families feel more confident to try strategies straight away at home.”
Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “Giving children the best possible start in life is one of our key priorities, and early support can make a huge difference to a child’s development and future opportunities.
“Working in partnership with OneWolverhampton, we are bringing Speech and Language Therapy services into our Best Start Family Hubs, making it easier for families to access expert advice and support in welcoming, familiar community settings.
“It is encouraging to see the positive impact this approach is having on both children and parents, helping to build confidence, identify needs earlier and ensure families receive the right support at the right time. This is a great example of how partnership working can improve outcomes for children and families across Wolverhampton.”
Speech and Language Therapy-led drop-in sessions have also improved accessibility and reduced waiting times for specialist input, while supporting more informal, flexible engagement with families.
Overall, this way of working has strengthened community-based support, improved parental confidence, and enabled specialist services to focus on children with the highest level of need.
Building on this success, funding has now been approved to continue this model, and the service is beginning the recruitment process for dedicated Speech and Language Therapy posts in Wolverhampton’s Best Start Family Hubs.