JCPSLP Vol 14 No 1 2012

Professional issues

Speech Pathology Australia’s Top 10 resources

S peech Pathology Australia (SPA) is the national peak body for speech pathologists and consumers of speech pathology services in Australia. The Association strives for excellence and recognition for the profession and represents the interests of members and their clients with communication and swallowing difficulties. 1 Membership Speech Pathology Australia provides many services to its members, including: • representation of the profession to external bodies including government, employing authorities and the general community; • public awareness activities and strategies to raise the profile of the profession; • publications about professional issues and up-to-date research; • continuing education including Continuing Professional Development events, National Tour workshops, and the annual National Conference; • member services including member register, professional information and advice, as well as practice resources; • submission preparation and representation to funding bodies, government departments, and research authorities. The Association also offers a range of awards including Life and Fellowship membership, awarded to members with an outstanding commitment to and achievement in the profession. 2 Added-value member benefits Speech Pathology Australia offers a range of tailored programs and special benefits to members. Guild Group is SPA’s preferred provider of professional indemnity and combined liabilities insurance and a range of policies have been negotiated to suit the different needs of members working in public and private settings. Guild offers members a range of quality business and personal (home and car) insurance products as well as financial and superannuation services - for more information about any of these products or services, contact Guild on 1800 810 213 or visit http:// www.guildgroup.com.au The Member Advantage program offers a range of outstanding benefits and discounts on lifestyle and business products and services, including car hire, car purchase, Qantas Club, entertainment, books, and much more. Your SPA membership card and number confirms your membership and provides you with ready access to these discounts. Go to: http://www.memberadvantage.com Additionally, a special member service has been negotiated with the Victorian Hospitals’ Industrial Association (VHIA) providing members across public and private settings nationally access to industrial and award advice free-of-charge for initial inquiries.

Details of all programs can be found at http://www. speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/membership/member- benefits-programs 3 Publications SPA produces several important publications designed to keep members up-to-date with the latest clinical and theoretical research. The Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology (previously ACQ ) provides a professional forum for members through articles about specific professional topics and issues of value to the practising clinician, general information on trends and developments, and information about resources. The International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology promotes discussion on a broad range of current clinical and theoretical issues and showcases experimental, review, and theoretical discussion papers. Archived copies of all publications are available from the members’ section of the SPA website. Bimonthly Speak Out and regular e-News bulletins also help members keep in touch with what is going on in the world of speech pathology and the Association.

4 SPA website SPA’s website is an almost inexhaustible resource, containing an enormous amount of information to inform and assist members in all areas of their practice or study. These include: private practice resources; speechBITE™ (a free database that accesses best evidence in all areas of speech pathology intervention); autism spectrum disorder (ASD) resources and online education modules; terminology for modified foods and fluids; graduate

information; lobbying and advocacy information and resources; discussion boards; and member networks. Documents such the Code of Ethics and

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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 1 2012

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology