Children have a right to be heard. It's clearly stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. But when I took up post as Commissioner I quickly learned that the voices of a group of children and young people were going unheard.
The reason appeared to be that a failing in health and personal social services meant these children (many under the age of five) were not receiving speech and language therapy when they needed it. Many faced an extraordinarily long wait.
Parents and children were frustrated. They knew therapists could help them find a voice, find a way to express their love, their wants, their needs and most of all how they felt. The system seemed not to be listening.
What made it worse was that in some parts of Northern Ireland, assessment for speech and language therapy took place within four weeks; in other parts it could take 18 months. It wasn't fair. Why could some trusts organise the service well, when it appeared others struggled?
I decided to launch a review of speech and language therapy services. This praised therapists for the quality of their work but exposed a postcode lottery.
The review produced recommendations that I am confident everyone in health and social services is considering to improve their service for children needing the support of speech and language therapists. It showed that when someone listens to the needs of children and young people, action can take place to resolve problems.
It is my duty to listen, but in my view common sense must prevail among those whose duty it is to provide care to children and young people, and especially to make sure that children and young people's voices are heard.
It is their right to be heard; it is my job to make sure that service providers are listening.
