Somerset Total Communication
| Service element | Service details |
|---|---|
| Responsibility: | Community |
 | Welcome to the Somerset Total Communication (STC) web pages. |
 |  |  | |||
 | Somerset Total Communication aims to support people's speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in Somerset. | ||
 | STC provides training, resources (locally and nationally) and ongoing support to share good practice and help overcome challenges. | ||
 | Somerset believes effective communication is a human right for all children, young people and adults, throughout their lives. |
If you click on the 'Do it online' button below, it will take you to the Somerset Total Communication online symbols library. These STC symbols are 'view only'. To purchase the CD of STC symbols please contact STC, phone 01278 444949 or email stc@somerset.gov.uk. The CD costs £32 plus VAT (April 2011).
About this service
 | Somerset Total Communication (STC) is a multi-agency partnership with Somerset County Council, Somerset Health Community, Speech and Language Therapy Services and other partners to make sure of a consistent strategy of sharing a common language. Joint-funding between partners supports the STC resource base and core team: one full-time manager, part-time administrator, administration assistant and Training and Learning Resource Officer. | ||
Who can use it?
| Anyone living in Somerset can access STC training - to make sure all children, young people and adults with total communication needs in Somerset have a consistent and coherent approach. STC enables a common shared language throughout our lives, in our living, learning, working and leisure environments across Somerset. Contact the STC team, who will let you know about the next course appropriate to your need. There are one or two 'National Enquiries Days' each year for people from outside Somerset. | ||
What is covered?
What STC resources can you buy?STC produces over 65 different resources which are available to everyone. These include:
| 'Simple Symbols' CD of over 4000 symbols | ||
 | Signing CD - over 400 film clips of signing vocabulary used in STC training | ||
| Books to help remember the signing learnt in training | ||
 | Photographic menu cards | ||
 | Books and games for young and older children and young people | ||
 | Accessible documents for adults with learning disabilities |
 | In the 'Information and resources' section of this page there is a Resources order form that you can download. You can fill it in to order the resources you need and then post it back to us at the address at the bottom of this page. |
What does STC provide?
| | Continuity and consistency of support throughout life, for people with total communication needs - a central point for the development of a 'common language' | ||
| A library of resources | ||
 | A centre of excellence | ||
_6.jpg "help"){kind=small} | Awareness raising and support for STC use in community environments | ||
| Training at three levels of induction, second level and co-ordinators Co-ordination of use of resources and strategies Quality assurance together with SLT services | ||
 | A forum for Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals to discuss a co-ordinated approach to developing effective total communication | ||
 | Support for the development and maintenance of STC co-ordinator networks and post-training support for other practitioners | ||
 | In partnership with Somerset Culture and Heritage Service, the production, development and marketing of STC resources | ||
 | Quality marking of Somerset organisations wishing to develop good practice in responding to their customers' communication needs. To audit and develop their staff training, use visual support in reception areas and develop documents in accessible formats | ||
Which Somerset Services are involved in developing STC?
 | Speech and Language Therapy Services for children, young people and adults (Health Community) | ||
| | Somerset County Council: Children and Young People's Directorate: Early Years; Children with Disability Services; Schools | ||
| | Community Directorate: Adult Social Care Services; Libraries, Arts and Information Services | ||
| | Somerset Skills and Learning | ||
| | Barnardos | ||
| | Sure Start | ||
| | Mencap | ||
| | Further Education Colleges | ||
| | The Bridgwater Excellence Cluster |
Representatives of these agencies meet quarterly as an STC Steering Group to review, evaluate and agree the direction of STC within Somerset.
Where is it?
 | Somerset Total Communication c/o Resources for Learning Parkway Bridgwater Somerset TA6 4RL | ||
 | stc@somerset.gov.uk | ||
_12.jpg "phone") | 01278 444949 | ||
 | Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.30pm | ||
| Contact type | Contact details |
|---|---|
| Contact | Somerset Total Communication |
| Address | Somerset Total Communication |
| Contact no | 01278 444 949 |
| Fax | 01278 447114 |
| Opening Hours | Monday to Friday |
General
Total Communication is a nationally recognized process of using speaking with:
 | body language | ||
 | facial expressions | ||
 | multi-sensory channels | ||
 | objects | ||
 | representational objects | ||
| | photographs | ||
 | pictures | ||
 | symbols | ||
 | writing | ||
 | videos | ||
 | computers as appropriate for individual understanding and expression of needs, wants, choices, independence | ||
 | anything that promotes more effective two-way communication |
Facts and figures
In Somerset since April 2002:
| | Over 3600 people trained at STC Induction level | ||
| | Over 675 people trained at STC 2nd level | ||
| | Over 260 STC coordinators in adult services | ||
| | 215 STC coordinators in children and young people services | ||
| | 181 of the 272 Local Authority schools in Somerset have accessed training. That is, 67% | ||
| | More than 35 people from out of county attended STC open days | ||
| | 19 resources available | ||
| | 129 examples of resources | ||
| | 83 schools are registered STC members | ||
| | 7 other organisations in Somerset are STC members |
What does the STC core team do?
 | The STC manager: | ||
| | The Training and Learning Resource Officer: | ||
 | The Symbol Resource Developer: | ||
_3.jpg "work (office)") | The Administrator and Admin Assistant: | ||
Are there other areas with a total communication strategy?
Several other counties in the United Kingdom are developing a communication strategy to suit their individual county’s needs. Please contact STC and information will be added to this site.
Related services
Information and Resources
Testamonial about STC
Testamonial from the Head Teacher of Trull Primary School, Taunton... Read more
Testamonial about STC
Testamonial about the STC CD from Theresa McCarthy of Wellsprings Primary School, Taunton... Read more
Testamonial about STC
Testamonial about STC from Rachel Meyerdierks of Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School... Read more
Testamonial about STC
Testamonial about STC from John Jeffery, Headteacher of Greenfylde Church of England First School, I... Read more
Testamonial about STC
Testamonial about STC from Sharman Flindall, Headteacher of Norton St Philip Church of England First... Read more
The documents on this website can be downloaded and are published using Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To view or print these documents you need Adobe's Acrobat PDF reader on your computer. This can be downloaded from the Adobe Systems' website http://getadobe.com/uk/reader/ (external link)
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