Speech and language therapy (SLT)

The Speech & Language Therapy Referral Management outlines how referrals are generated to the SLT Departments in Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) and how the SLT Department manages these referrals.

For most referrals, the child must be referred by a CHI Consultant or a member of their team within CHI (with the agreement of the Consultant). The child must be an in-patient of CHI, or regularly attend CHI as an out-patient under the care of a CHI Consultant. The only exceptions are Videofluoroscopy and Second Opinion Assessments of Speech and Resonance.

The CHI SLT prioritisation document provides clear information on how to refer to the Speech and Language Therapy Department and about how referrals are managed by the Speech and Language Therapy Department. We are endeavouring to prioritise children with the highest needs and our prioritisation criteria can be viewed here;

• SLT-Prioritisation-May-2022

Please see below for more information:

• Reference - Referral Access Criteria to SLT Department at CHI
• Quick Reference - Referral Discharge Criteria
• SLT episodes of care

The information provided on this site is updated regularly. If you have any urgent queries or concerns, please contact the SLT department on the contact information provided at the top of this page and leave a message stating who you are calling about and the reasons for your call. We will endeavour to respond to you as quickly as possible.

Please see the document below for useful resources and links that will help guide you on how to best support your child. Please do not hesitate to contact the team on the above number if you have any questions.

Referrals for videofluoroscopy can be made by any Paediatric Consultant nationally and should be addressed to the Radiology Department, Children’s Health Ireland at Temple St or Crumlin , who process referrals and manage the waiting list and appointments. Speech and Language Therapists who have confirmed that a child on their caseload is on the videofluoroscopy waitlist should complete the Videofluoroscopy Information and Preparation Form below and send it into the Speech and Language Therapy Department before the child’s appointment date. Any Speech and Language Therapist involved in a child’s dysphagia care is welcome to attend that child’s videofluoroscopy appointment along with the child and parent.

The SLT department accepts referrals from outside agencies/ professionals for second opinion assessments of speech and resonance disorders.