Chatterboxes report highlights benefits to local children

Our SPECS Chatterboxes initiative, which takes a novel approach to supporting children’s speech, language and communication needs, has been found to have made a real difference in the lives of children and families in the Bray and North Wicklow areas, according to a recent report.

The report, Sustainability Through Collaboration, highlights the success of this new model, which works closely with key adults in children’s lives to help them support children’s speech, language and communication needs.

Chatterboxes is a collaborative project of the HSE and Bray Area Partnership's SPECS project. Chatterboxes has upskilled over 60 professionals from local early years services and primary schools since 2018, impacting the lives of over 700 children.

You can read the report at this link.

Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly TD said:

“I am delighted to launch the interim report of the Chatterboxes initiative. I wish to congratulate the HSE Management team in Wicklow and Bray Area Partnership on this successful initiative supported by Tusla’s Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme and Supporting Parents and Childhood Services (SPECS) and, my colleague Roderic O’Gorman TD, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. By taking a prevention and early intervention approach to speech, language and communication needs, this initiative is changing the lives of children and their families.’