ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the findings from research into an approach to staff development in this area in Nottinghamshire where the Speech and Language Therapy team have worked closely with setting staff to develop the role of the Language Lead within settings across the county as part of a commissioned universal service. It presents an understanding of good practice in the collaborative context and considers what the research findings suggest for the wider public health agenda in the area of children’s communication needs, bringing it back to the practitioner and the learning environment for both the practitioner and the child. However, research into the communication environment and the knowledge and skills of early years (EY) practitioners suggests a significant degree of variation in the quality of the communication environments encountered by children in EY settings. Leadership is pivotal in the development of communication within a setting.
