Communication pilot gets underway in Glasgow

An exciting new pilot initiative is underway in our Glasgow Locality to help children and young people share their views in their Hearing.

Launched earlier this week, Communi-crate is a communication toolkit which includes a number of tools to help children and young people participate in their Hearing.

The toolkit includes a worry monster, emoji fan, emoji cards, conversation cubes, whiteboard, and a range of communication cards including stop/go cards.

Senior Practitioner Nicola Crawford said: “Children and young people have told us that they find it hard to give their views in a Hearing. We want to provide a range of tools to help children and young people fully participate in their Hearing.”

The pilot will run between December 2023 and March 2024 and will be evaluated. A small project team has developed the pilot.

Project team member Collette Gallagher explained how the toolkit will work: “The tools are aimed at ages six years and over, but will be dependent on a child or young person’s communication needs.

“During the first phase of the pilot, the Communi-crate will be shared with a child or young person in the waiting room. The tools and what they are for will be discussed with the child or young person and they can chose any they would like to use.

“The tools will then be brought into the Hearing room and displayed for ease of access. The tools will then be available for panel members to use to encourage children and young people to communicate their views.”

To ensure the pilot is a success, briefing materials have been prepared for panel members and partners. If you have any questions or comments about the pilot, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.