Background: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face challenges in assessing children’s speech in languages they do not speak. Limited clinical resources are available for assessing unfamiliar languages. Implementation science offers a way of introducing new evidence-based resources and translating research findings into practice.

Aims: To demonstrate how an implementation science framework is being used to explore the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of a new evidence-based clinical protocol – the Speech Assessment of Children’s Home Language(s) (SACHL).

Method: The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was applied to this research in three phases.
Phase 1 took an action research approach where SLPs provided feedback on the acceptability of the SACHL. Five hundred and two registrations were received for a one-hour online presentation about the SACHL and 348 devices were connected during the presentations.
Phase 2 involves using SLP feedback from Phase 1 to refine the SACHL and collaborating with SLPs to co-design language-specific resources for the SACHL.
Phase 3 involves trialling the SACHL in a clinical context, using the implementation strategies identified in Phase 1, and the co-designed language-specific resources from Phase 2.
Ethics approval from CSU Human Research Ethics Committee has been obtained (H24093).

Results: Phase 1: 369 participants provided feedback on the acceptability and feasibility of the SACHL; 181 indicated that they would like to receive more training in the SACHL. Feedback is currently being used to refine the SACHL.
Phase 2: 70 participants from Phase 1 have offered to partner with the researchers to co-design language-specific resources.
Phase 3: 106 participants from Phase 1 have expressed interest in partnering with the researchers to trial the SACHL in their clinical practice.

Conclusions: Implementation science offers useful frameworks for researchers to partner with clinicians to co-design and test evidence-based clinical tools. This research supports speech pathologists to uphold everyone’s “right to express themselves and to create and disseminate their work in the language of their choice, and particularly in their mother tongue” (Article 5, UNESCO, 2001).

Implications for children and families: We are creating and testing a clinical tool for speech pathologists to be able to assess your speech in every language that you speak, even if they do not speak the same home language(s) as you.

Implications for practitioners: You have indicated a need for more clinical resources and training in how to assess multilingual children. Our research aims to fill this gap, through researchers partnering with practitioners to develop and test a clinical protocol for assessing children’s speech in an unfamiliar language.

Funding: This research is funded by the Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Key words: children’s voices, professionals’ voices, communication, education, health, innovation, cultural responsivity, multilingual

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals