An NHS Forth Valley Speech and Language Therapist has been shortlisted for a national award by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, recognising her work with young offenders.

Jacqueline Smith, a Speech and Language Therapist from the NHS Forth Valley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, worked with colleagues at the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to deliver the Communication Friendly Environment (CFE) project in HMP YOI Polmont.

Jacqueline explained: “The CFE project began in 2021 as a joint project between NHS Speech and Language Therapy and SPS after a small group of staff recognised the high incidence of unidentified and unsupported speech, language and communication needs – research shows that up to 90% of the young offender population will have communication support needs.

She added: “Working within the complex system of the prison environment, there were many stakeholders to consider for this project. We decided that the two main groups were the young people in the prison and the officers who hold the responsibility to support the young people for the majority of the time. Consultation with groups of both young people and prison officers took place to gather opinions around awareness, training, the communication environment and suggested changes to make the prison more inclusive and accessible for those with speech, language and communication needs.

“These consultations included face-to-face discussions with groups, a tour of the prison to audit the physical environment, and anonymous questionnaires to share opinions about changes. Other stakeholders such as those at the SPS College and SPS Equality and Diversity managers were eventually included to spread our message further than just our own prison. Ideally, there would be a CFE in every Scottish Prison!”

The awards ceremony takes place in Birmingham on 24th October 2024.