Speak Out February 2021 DIGITAL EDITION

SPEAKOUT FEBRUARY 2021 THE MAGAZINE FOR AUSTRALIAN SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS Implementing the new Professional Standards

WHAT A YEAR... 2020 IN REVIEW

Member profile: The 40 year career of Susan Block

Virtual Conference

Swallowing Awareness Day preparations

program finalised

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February 2021 | Speak Out

Connect

SpeechPathologyAustralia

National Office Level 1/114 William Street Melbourne VIC 3000 T 1300 368 835 F 03 9642 4922 E office@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au Chief Executive Officer Gail Mulcair T 03 9642 4899 E execassist@speechpathologyaustralia. org.au Speech Pathology Australia Board Tim Kittel - President Chyrisse Heine – Vice President Communications Maree Doble – Vice President Operations Copyright © 2021 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Speak Out is the official bi-monthly magazine of The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Ltd. Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) owns the copyright to Speak Out and no part of this magazine may be reproduced without the explicit permission of SPA. Write to us Letters can be sent to publications@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au. Letters may or may not be published in future issues of Speak Out magazine at SPA’s discretion. Advertisements Please refer to the 'Publications' menu at www. speechpathologyaustralia.org.au to view the 2021 Speak Out ad kit. Any queries may be directed to SPA Publications Manager Advertising booking dates for April 2021 Speak Out . The official booking form must be received at national office by COB 12 March, 2021. Disclaimer To the best of The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited’s (‘the Association”) knowledge, this information is valid at the time of publication. The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content or accuracy of the material in this publication. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of the information provided. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this publication. Print Post Approved PP349181/01711 Print ISSN 1446-053X Digital ISSN : ISSN 2208-7125 Brooke Sanderson – Director Bronwyn Sutton – Director Kathryn McKinley - Director Alison Smith - Director T 1300 368 835 E publications@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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Speech Pathology Australia

Do you have an idea for a story?

If you have an idea for a story that you think may be of benefit to the profession and membership it could be suitable to publish in Speak Out. We'd love to hear from you. To receive the editorial/ contributor guidelines please contact the Publications Manager Rebecca Faltyn, rfaltyn@speechpathologyaustralia.org. au Speak Out Branch Editors Please see the website for Branch Editor contact details. Connect with the profession Speech Pathology Australia supports a number of member communities on Facebook. These popular communities allow members to share information, collaborate and provide mutual support. Members may join and participate in as many groups as they like. You will need to make a request to join each group and can remain a member of the group/s while you are a SPA member. Please remember, the member communities are not a forum for advertising products, services or events. Acknowledgement We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past, present and future. We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community. Do you have a question about your membership? The Association's membership team remains available to answer any of your questions about your membership or member resources. Call: 1300 368 835 Member communities

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Contents

February 2021

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42 46 42 7

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Regulars

Features

The Professional Standards

From the President

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Ask SPA - NDIS

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Member profile - Sue Block and her 40+ year career

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National Virtual Conference

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2020 In Review

31

New ethics live Q&A

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Swallowing Awareness Day

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Cover pic: Find out

everything you need to know about the Professional Standards.

New team members join SPA

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Governance and safeguarding under the NDIS

41

Branch news

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From the President

Hi and welcome to the first issue of Speak Out for 2021. As the clock clicked down to midnight, many cities greeted 2021 with quiet resolve. If you live in Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra or Melbourne, the opening moments of the year weren’t greeted with the customary fireworks. But who needs superficial bangs and flashes to get excited? New Year, New Normal. And New Professional Standards! Boom! Flash! Ooh and aah! A large amount of this issue has been devoted to the Professional Standards for Speech Pathologists in Australia. Quite right too. If, over the summer, you were milling about in a gathering with 10 or fewer people, there’s a distinct possibility there’s a lull in the conversation and you were asked what you do for a living. Whenever I’m asked this, I never say “I’m just a speech pathologist”. I suspect you don’t either. Because there’s nothing "just" about being a speech pathologist in Australia. We are proud of what we achieve, and how much work we’ve put into getting where we are in 2021. At the stroke of midnight on January 1, at that precise moment that the fireworks didn’t go off, SPA enacted the Professional Standards, which is a living document capturing how brilliantly things get done around here. A few weeks ago, I caught up with a really good mate who I went to Uni with for coffee. Over a cappuccino, she let me know that she spent pretty much an entire afternoon going through December’s issue of Speak Out , clicking on various links and exploring the range of activities in which SPA engages. The first half of this February issue really brings together what the Professional Standards bring to our working lives. If you take the time to click on links here, you’ll soon find

that the standards are far from a list of rules or commandments: they are statements that should make you feel proud to be a part of this profession. As you’ll read later on in this issue: when we start using the language of the standards to describe what, how, and why we work the way we do, we further cement the values of our profession. Traditionally, February is always a great issue of Speak Out , because we get that first, tantalising taste of how the year’s SPA Conference is going to play out. We’ve waited longer than usual this time, and this year we will get to listen to our keynote speakers. The addition of Melanie Mununggurr- Williams to the 2021 program further cements a focus on Local Contexts and Global Practice. Thanks to the Conference Planning Committee, the program is looking increasingly innovative, and I can’t wait to find out more so I can plan out my upperwear choices for the three days. We’re getting ahead of ourselves though: before the excitement of the conference, we have #swallowingaware2021 coming up on 17 March. We did an incredible job online for Speech Pathology Week last year, so hopefully we keep the momentum going by bombarding social media with facts and pics about the importance of being aware of dysphagia and our role in making safe eating a priority for all. I don’t know if I can cook anything for 17 March that will be edible, certainly I can grab a coffee and share some facts. So whereas you perhaps weren’t greeted with literal fireworks at the beginning of 2021, it is still going to be a great year. Enjoy, and see you online!

Tim Kittel

Tim Kittel National President

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Board of Directors Report November 2020

Association NEWS

The final Board of Directors meeting for 2020 was held virtually on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November 2020. The Board of Directors acknowledged how challenging 2020 had been for the Association, including for the Branches and all members. Progress on the Association’s Strategic Plan was slowed significantly as a result the pandemic; however, the Board of Directors is committed to finishing 2020 in a strong position, that will extend and set the pace for 2021. The meeting included consideration of the Association’s budget for 2021, where a range of operational and strategic proposals were reviewed. The Board of Directors approved a deficit budget for the Association in 2021, reflecting their strong commitment to progress projects identified within the Association’s strategic plan, whilst continuing timely and responsive support to the membership. Some of the meeting highlights included: Membership The 2020/21 membership renewal period was strong, with the Association representing 11,010 members at the end of October 2020. Increases in diversity were also noted. A range of policy amendments were made to provide clarity around non-certified membership. This category of membership will be offered up to a period of 12 months, to assist members in gaining certified practising membership status. Revised policies will be made available on the Association’s website shortly. COVID-19 Advisory Panel The collaborative nature of the Association’s COVID-19 Advisory Panel was acknowledged, along with their success in communicating with the membership. While the ongoing implications of COVID-19 remain unknown, the current low number of cases in Australia, may result in a lower than anticipated demand for post-COVID speech pathology services. National Office With National Office located in Melbourne, Association staff have worked remotely since March. At the time of this report with restrictions slowly starting to ease, plans are being formed for a staged return to the office in early 2021. The Association is currently recruiting to a number of positions including a Professional Practice Advisor and Branch Liaison Officer. Communications and public awareness The Book of the Year Awards ceremony, held virtually, was highly successful and engaging. A recording of the ceremony is available on the Association’s social media channels. Speech Pathology Week 2020 also proved extremely successful, with significant media coverage received. The value of celebrity involvement was discussed, with both

Delta Goodrem and Harrison Craig engaged with the 2020 campaign. Member feedback from the campaign will be utilised to inform the scoping process for the Association’s strategic priority 2.1.3, "Build a range of promotional campaigns that have consistent messaging to increase general public awareness, and that of other professions, regarding communication disability and swallowing difficulties as well as the breadth of role of speech pathologists". Clinical Guideline final draft The final draft of the Clinical Guideline for Speech Pathologists Working in Childhood and Adolescent Literacy, was approved and will be made available to the membership in early 2021. Association Branches The Board of Directors acknowledged the significant efforts of Branch Chairs, in maintaining momentum at a Branch level, during an extremely difficult period. Changes in Branch culture were noted, with higher levels of member engagement experienced, due to the ability for members to participate remotely. Cultural responsiveness The Association’s Reflect - Reconciliation Action Plan Progress Report was reviewed, with directors acknowledging that COVID-19 had impacted on the completion of a number of actions. These items will be transferred to the Association’s new Innovate - Reconciliation Action Plan. Following discussion at the Board of Directors meeting, a draft of the Innovate - Reconciliation Action Plan will be sent to Reconciliation Australia for approval. Results of the Workplace RAP Barometer conducted by Polity Research and Consulting, on behalf of Reconciliation Australia, reaffirmed the value of the Reconciliation Action Plan within the Strategic Plan and the association’s progress in this regard. Governance Agreement was made to pursue the appointment of two external directors on the Association’s Board of Directors. It is envisaged that external directors will increase the breadth of skills, diversity and perspectives on the Board of Directors. In alignment with the Association’s Reconciliation Action Plan and commitment to the nation’s first people, an external director with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background is sought. Three subcommittees oversee key functions of the Association. Recently the responsibilities of these subcommittees were reviewed to achieve equal workload distribution. The Subcommittee Terms of Reference were amended accordingly.

Gail Mulcair Chief Executive Officer

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Implementing the NEW Professional Standards

On 1 January 2021, the new Professional Standards for Speech Pathologists in Australia came into affect. The Professional Standards detail: • the knowledge, skills and attributes a speech pathologist practising in Australia must demonstrate and apply, at any point in their career, as relevant to their speech pathology role and work context, • the knowledge, skills and attributes a graduating speech pathology student must demonstrate and be able to apply by the time they complete their entry-level degree.

The Professional Standards include a hierarchy of Domains, Standards and Elements. The three Domains reflect the core areas of competence required for speech pathology practice in Australia, namely: • professional conduct • reflective practice and life-long learning • speech pathology practice. The Professional Standards provide the public with an expectation of the minimum standards of all practising speech pathologists in Australia.

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Implement

What’s your strategy for implementing the Professional Standards?

There are many ways that you can implement the Professional Standards into your work individually and within your team and workplace. These strategies for implementing the standards gives you practical tips and inspiration on how to infuse the Professional Standards into your everyday practise. Get familiar with the Professional Standards Print out and laminate the overview page of the Professional Standards and make it visible in your setting.

Start familiarising yourself and your team with the language of the new standards. For example: • domains, standards, elements • professional conduct, reflective practice and life- long learning, speech pathology practice • communication and swallowing • individuals and communities • supervision and mentoring • review the glossary for all bolded text. Use the new terminology with your colleagues and students. For example: “My digital literacy has really improved with all the tele- practice I’ve done this year” “Our practice will be reviewing our processes to ensure we’re providing culturally safe and responsive services” “Offering student placements supports the development of our profession”

Professional Standards for Speech Pathologists in Australia Overview

Domains

Standards

1. Professional conduct

1.1. Provide ethical and evidence-based practice 1.2. Comply with legislation, standards, policies and protocols 1.3. Provide safe and quality services 1.4. Collaborate with individuals, their supports, our colleagues and the community 1.5. Maintain high standards of communication, information sharing and record keeping 1.6. Consider the needs of individuals and communities in clinical decision-making and practice 1.7. Advocate for optimal communication and swallowing 2.1. Demonstrate self-awareness 2.2. Use critical reflection to guide professional development and practice 2.3. Plan personal development goals 2.4. Participate in professional development 2.5. Acquire, critique and integrate knowledge from a range of sources 2.6. Engage in learning with colleagues, students and the community 2.7. Contribute to the speech pathology evidence base

2. Reflective practice and life-long learning

3. Speech pathology practice

3.1. Develop shared understanding of speech pathology 3.2. Assess communication and swallowing needs 3.3. Interpret, diagnose and report on assessments 3.4. Plan speech pathology intervention or service response 3.5. Implement and evaluate intervention or service response 3.6. Support development of the profession

Find out more and view the full Professional Standards for Australian Speech Pathologists at : www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au / professionalstandards

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Reflect and review Review your work against the standards and consider how you’re tracking individually and in your collaborations with others. Consider if there’s anything more you can do to enhance your practise. Ask speech pathology students to provide feedback on your practise and context against the standards at the end of a placement. Consider if the Professional Standards could be referenced in any policies, surveys, forms, performance reviews or other HR processes you regularly use in your workplace.

Discuss and share with your team Schedule meetings with your team to discuss the standards. You could: • discuss one of the three Domains each week over three weeks • consider your context and role. Does it differ across your team? • explore which standards are immediately relevant to the work you do • consider if there are any standards which you need to explore further, to ensure you’re able to meet them.

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Learning module Self-paced Professional Standards Learning Module – Find out more about how the Professional Standards apply to you and your practise by taking the 60-minute self-paced learning module. Live Q&A sessions The Association’s Professional Standards team will conduct two live Q&A sessions to answer any questions you may have and to share ideas and strategies on how you can implement the Professional Standards in your work. View all videos on the Professional Standards playlist. Watch Eddie Ong, Professor Sue McAllister; the Association’s National President, Tim Kittel, and Chief Executive Officer Gail Mulcair, provide their take on the importance of the Professional Standards for all speech pathologists and the profession via the Association’s YouTube channel. Watch an Introduction to the Professional Standards: Dr Simone Arnott, Senior Advisor Professional Standards discusses the development and the structure of the new Professional Standards. Session 1 - 24 February, 12.30 pm (AEDT) Session 2 – 5 March, 12.30 pm (AEDT) Videos to watch

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What do the new Professional Standards mean for our work in prevention and promotion? A unique role

Kym Dunstan and Helen Smith (pictured) hold roles with the Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing (CCHW), Children’s Health Queensland and Health Service. CCHW is a multi-disciplinary team which focuses on improving health equity, particularly for vulnerable children, by addressing the social determinants of health (including housing, family, community support, education, play). Their roles bring together the evidence around social determinants and the importance of the early years. They apply their speech pathology perspective to develop strategies and responses to improve speech and language development, social emotional wellbeing, school readiness and ultimately lifelong health and wellbeing for all children. They don’t have a clinical caseload. Instead they plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based speech pathology promotion and prevention interventions and work in partnership with a range of stakeholders. What is the impact of the Professional Standards on your work? We are excited to see the Professional Standards reflect the profession’s more recent expansion into this type of work, and we can see how this document can be used to: • raise the profile of prevention and promotion within speech pathology • advocate for prevention and promotion services within other sectors • expose our future workforce to this way of working before they graduate. The new Professional Standards recognise that a speech pathology role may include: • Sharing your knowledge and strategies with parents in relevant and accessible ways, considering health literacy levels and parent messaging frameworks. • Contributing to service design by sharing what

Kym Dunstan and Helen Smith

• Building community capacity by supporting your local playgroup facilitator and linking families on your caseload with this group. • Increasing public awareness of communication difficulties by sharing information at your library, childcare centre or parent information session. • Working with universities to share/embed promotion and prevention information with our upcoming workforce. • Building capacity of parents and others involved in supporting child health and wellbeing. • Partnering with local communities to share information and plan responses to promote child development. • Organising community events focused on literacy development and health and wellbeing. What is prevention and promotion? Prevention and promotion aren’t new. However, it’s a relatively unexplored area for speech pathology in Australia. Prevention and promotion are about optimising individual and population outcomes. For Helen and Kym, this means optimising communication development and outcomes, using multiple behaviour change or improvement strategies.

you know about your local community, it’s vulnerable groups and issues impacting on accessibility to services.

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A unique role

We are a data driven profession

Responding to evidence and adapting their practice is an ongoing expectation. Over the years they’ve flexibly shifted from providing only individual and small group clinic-based models to class-based services, whole school literacy programs, and consultative services in early childhood education and care. They’ve moved from in-person delivery to tele-practice and from a focus on being person-centred, to working closely with the community. The scope of speech pathology services is now further expanding into prevention and promotion. Your context and role could also include prevention and promotion because: Communication doesn’t happen in isolation Communication happens where we live, work, learn and play and occurs with other people at all stages across the lifespan. Whether it’s communication partners of adolescents with a disability, carers working with adults living in residential aged care, or children learning to talk through serve and return interactions, your health, wellbeing, learning and participation is affected by your community and the people around you. Everyone needs to know what we know Speech pathologists have lots of expertise in communication, but it is ultimately parents and communication partners who can make the biggest impact for the people we work with. The more we share our knowledge and skills with others the greater the gains can be for people with communication difficulties. We need to spread the word and advocate Communication happens everywhere and we have so much more to contribute to other sectors. In the same way that speech pathologists in education and the early childhood sectors have worked hard to be seen as having a role in literacy development, there are many other contexts which would benefit from more communication and swallowing advocacy, including youth justice, framing of parent messaging, pre-natal education, local libraries and playgroups, community development and local government planning. The list is endless!

We already know a lot about who is most vulnerable and would benefit most from our services. Prevention and promotion strategies give us a process to develop evidence-based responses according to need. Prevention works! The evidence which highlights the significance of the early years for brain development including language acquisition and lifelong health and wellbeing is overwhelming. Early intervention is important. It is much harder and more expensive to intervene later. How can members find out more? Further reading Law, J., Reilly, S., & Snow, P. (2013). Child speech, language and communication need re-examined in a public health context: a new direction for the speech and language therapy profession. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders , 48(5), 486- 496. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24033648/ Enderby, P.M., & Law, J. (2019). Speech, Language, and Communication in a Public Health Context: A UK Perspective with Potential Global Application – An Opinion Piece. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 71(4), 168-175. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31048575/ Kym Dunstan kym.dunstan@health.qld.gov.au Helen Smith helen.smith@health.qld.gov.au

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Perspectives

Perspectives on the Professional Standards

The Association gathered insights from students and speech pathologists in health and private practice to discover how the Professional Standards apply to them. What do the Professional Standards mean in your context and role? Academic/students Associate Professor Barbra Zupan, Central Queensland University “The evidence-base and ethics are much more explicit… provides students with a better understanding of how these are integrated into real speech pathology practice.” “Better able to capture the professional competencies that are foundational.” “Community centred practice is a key consideration for us.” “The ‘we’ statements generate a feeling of connection and commitment to the Standards, even at early stages of student learning.” Private Practice/education Jennifer Baker, Freemantle “Great reference for rationalising why we ask students and staff to adhere to certain procedures.” “Given us impetus to plan collaborative research and projects with the schools we work with. We’re also planning new initiatives to enhance service access for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in our area.” “We will be formalising supervision and coaching relationships with speech pathologists with skills and knowledge outside of our practice’s key areas, to broaden our scope and confidence.” “We’re reviewing our assessment processes for children who have English as an additional language.”

Health Nicky Graham and team, Queensland Health “The focus on advocacy and capability building better reflects the broader work we do.” “We can see how the COMPASS assessment can still work with the new Standards” “Life-long learning is so visible. It encourages all of us to

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Perspectives

Private Practice/education Jennifer Baker, Freemantle “We’re referring to the Standards for all future job interviews.” “We’re using the Standards as a reference point for our biannual staff reviews.” Health Nicky Graham and team, Queensland Health “We’ve already had some protected time to reflect on the new Standards as a leadership group.” “Our network leaders will become "standards champions" within their own health services to support their staff to start using the language of the new Professional Standards.” “We’re holding brainstorming sessions within our departments, to consider the opportunities, benefits and unknowns of implementation.” “We’re aligning the Domains and Elements to our Performance Appraisal and Development plans.” ‘We’re reviewing how the Standards align with the National Safety and Quality Health Standards.”

continuously seek professional development and keep developing our competency” “We appreciate the reference to positive learning environments and supervision structures. This is vital in our setting” “Digital literacy is paramount in our setting. So pleased to see the sStandards reflect this”. What’s your strategy to apply them? Associate Professor Barbra Zupan, Central Queensland University Academic/students “We worked together to map CBOS, COMPASS and the Standards so we could see the similarities and differences.” “The new Standards will guide student reflections, especially in Year 1.” “Build familiarity by embedding the new ‘language’ into practical activities and rubrics.” Join in a live Q&A session The Association’s Professional Standards Team will conduct two live Q&A sessions to answer any questions you may have and to share ideas and strategies on how you can implement the Professional Standards in your work.

LEARN DISCUSS REFLECT Session 1 24 February, 12.30 pm (AEDT) Session 2 5 March, 12.30 pm (AEDT)

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Why does SPA have Professional Standards? The Professional Standards (SPA, 2020) detail the minimum standards for the speech pathology profession in Australia. This assures the public of the minimum standard they can expect from all practising speech pathologists in Australia from 1 January 2021. See also: ‘Use of the Professional Standards’ p6 of the Professional Standards Sue McAllister's video explores how the Professional Standards enable us to think broadly about what the unique knowledge and skills are that speech pathologists have. Why are there new standards? Speech Pathology Australia is committed to ensuring the standards for the profession reflect current practice. SPA has undertaken a review of the standards as per SPA policy and in alignment with requirements of the National Alliance of Self-Regulating Health Professions (NASRHP). The new Professional Standards reflect the voice of the profession and acknowledge that speech pathology FAQs

practice has continued to change in Australia. The new Professional Standards articulate the breadth of speech pathology practice and support a broader definition and scope of practice for the profession. See also: The Professional Standards p8 and p17.

How are the Professional Standards different from CBOS?

The Competency Based Occupational Standards for Speech Pathologists: Entry level (CBOS) were first developed in 1994, revised in 2001, 2011 and updated in 2017. Their purpose was to detail the competencies for entry level speech pathology practice in Australia. The most recent review of CBOS has resulted in new standards and a new framework to describe the standards. The standards are now titled Professional Standards for Speech Pathologists in Australia (Professional Standards) (SPA, 2020). The Professional Standards describe the knowledge, skills and attributes for all practising speech pathologists throughout their career. The Professional Standards are structured under three

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FAQs

My specific area of practice isn’t listed in the Professional Standards During the CBOS review, consultation with speech pathologists revealed that range of practice areas (speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing and multi- modal communication) were generally considered to be limiting when describing the diversity and breadth of contemporary speech pathology practice. Speech pathology practice has now been described as that which supports every individual’s right to optimal communication and swallowing. All areas of practice are therefore encompassed in the description of communication and swallowing needs. See also: ‘The speech pathology role’ on p6 of the Professional Standards Will there be any changes to the annual renewal requirements for membership of SPA? As in previous years, when you renew or join SPA for the first time, you will sign a declaration to say you will abide by SPA policies, Professional Standards and the Code of Ethics. As the Professional Standards come into effect on 1 January 2021, there is an expectation that at the time of renewal you are familiar with the Professional Standards and know how the Standards relate to your context and role. How will SPA monitor

domains and have twenty standards. Each standard has its own set of elements. There are no performance criteria or cues, but rather, Elements written as "we" statements. Standards that address services and professional practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities are integrated into each Domain. The Professional Standards recognise the breadth of speech pathology practice, and consequently broadly define the work of speech pathologists in terms of communication and swallowing across the lifespan, rather than specifying distinct range of practice areas. Speech pathology practice encompasses work with communities and individuals and can occur in a range of settings. Refer: 'The Speech Pathology Role' on p6 in the Professional Standards When will the Professional Standards replace the CBOS? The Professional Standards (SPA, 2020) were socialised with stakeholders between August and December 2020. This period enabled stakeholders to familiarise, discuss and ask questions about the Professional Standards, and speech pathologists could consider how the Professional Standards will apply to their context and role. The Professional Standards apply to practising speech pathologists from 1 January 2021. The Competency Based Occupational Standards (CBOS) are currently used as a reference document for many core functions of SPA. This includes university accreditation, overseas qualification assessment and the re-entry program. For now, all these functions will continue to reference the CBOS, as CBOS provides entry level descriptors of competency. There are currently projects underway that will address how to implement the Professional Standards in areas where defined measures of competency are required. SPA will liaise with relevant parties as the various projects progress.

my compliance with the Professional Standards?

SPA will continue to require all members to sign a declaration that they will abide by the Association’s policies, professional standards and Code of Ethics at the time of joining or renewal. It is also explicit in the Code of Ethics that members are responsible for ensuring they are competent to practise and meet the minimum professional standards of the profession.

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FAQs I’d like more information to help me understand the Standards relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. What do you suggest? Eddie Ong a speech pathologist and member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee provides a helpful exploration of some of the new Professional Standards in his video discussion, and provides some practical suggestions for reflecting on and aligning our practice with the Professional Standards when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

a particular client group, screen at-risk individuals or communities, offer various interventions to minimise impairment or increase participation, give a presentation to carers to support communication and swallowing needs, ensure health information is in an accessible format, or supervise a work experience student in order to promote the profession. These examples are just a small sample of activities that could be considered prevention and promotion. The breadth and diversity of speech pathology practice is one of the reasons why the Professional Standards are not prescriptive and why speech pathologists must be autonomous in their decisions regarding how they will meet the Standards in their context and role. Do I choose which standards apply to me or do they all apply? All the standards in the Professional Standards (SPA, 2020) apply to every speech pathology graduate, and to every practising speech pathologist as relevant to their work context and role. For example, Standard 2.7 ‘Contribute to the speech pathology evidence base’ applies to all speech pathologists; however, the elements that apply would likely be different for a research-only academic compared to a clinician working in a community health setting. In contrast, all of the elements described in Standard 1.2, ‘Comply with legislation, standards, policies and procedures' would apply to every practising speech pathologist as there would be no work context or role where these elements would not apply. There is no mention of complexity, advanced or extended scope of practice. Can you explain why? The Professional Standards (SPA, 2020) detail the minimum standards expected of all practising speech pathologists throughout their career. Complexity is multifaceted and may be defined differently by different speech pathologists, depending on factors including but not limited to context, role, responsibilities, experience and competency, client and environmental factors and supports and supervision available. Similarly, the terms advanced and extended scope of practice are not

How can I be sure I’m meeting the Professional Standards? The new Professional Standards (SPA, 2020) have no measures attached to them, so there are no measurable requirements at this time. The Professional Standards assume you are engaging in the standard/element, but what you do and how much or how frequently you do it will be informed by your role and context, as well as personal factors such as experience and competency. Can you provide an example regarding prevention and promotion? Prevention and promotion activities include an array of different areas of speech pathology practice. For example, some speech pathologists may volunteer their time at parent and babies expos or provide information to new parent groups about shared book reading or modelling language. Other speech pathologists might lobby their workplace for different eligibility criteria for

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FAQs

universally applied within the profession. However, any activity which could be defined as complex or advanced, but is still within scope of a speech pathology role, should still be delivered in alignment with the Professional Standards. Any activity that is considered to be extended scope of practice should be delivered with consideration of the specific requirements of that activity and also aligned with the Professional Standards as appropriate. It is the role of workplace organisations to define advanced and extended practice in speech pathology relevant to their workplace, and to determine and monitor the credentialing of professionals to undertake practices that are considered additional to or beyond minimum standards. Members can view the Credentialling Position Statement for more information. Are the expectations changing for graduating students and university programs? The CBOS will continue to be the reference for entry level competency for graduating students until at least the end of 2021. This is because the Professional Standards do not include entry level measures of competency. This means that any speech pathology graduands of an accredited university in Australia will be eligible for certified practising membership of Speech Pathology Australia until otherwise advised. Speech Pathology Australia will ensure that universities and students are provided with appropriate notice and advice regarding any transition plans to new expectations or requirements. When graduands commence work, their practice will need to align with the Professional Standards (SPA, 2020), as relevant to their context and role, from 1 January 2021. New resources which detail the evidence required to demonstrate that future graduating students meet the Professional Standards will be developed as part of a strategic project titled ‘Activity 1: Implementation of the Professional Standards for Universities.’ This project is due for completion by early 2022. In the meantime, Speech Pathology Australia will continue to evaluate university programs using the current accreditation standards which include evaluation of student competency against the CBOS, until the new resources

are available, and a transitional period is observed. Speech Pathology Australia accreditors will be thoroughly conversant with the new Professional Standards and will play an integral role during the transition to university programs being accredited against the new Professional Standards. Can we still use COMPASS® to assess students on placement? COMPASS® is a validated and standardised tool for assessment of student competency development within the workplace, so universities may choose to continue to use COMPASS® for assessing students during placement. Therefore, clinical educators should continue to assess students as they have done until now, using the COMPASS® or other university-prescribed tool to assess student competency until advised otherwise, by the relevant university.

Will COMPASS® be updated to include the Professional Standards? COMPASS® is a validated and standardised assessment tool. It can stand-alone. So, while COMPASS® and CBOS have similarities in terminology and framework, COMPASS® can function independently of the CBOS. SPA has no imminent plans to design a new tool for assessing competency development during workplace placements that will align directly with the Professional Standards. There is, however, a SPA funded project underway to design Professional Standards implementation requirements related to university accreditation. This project will determine the timelines for any curricula or placement modifications that might be

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FAQs

required to ensure alignment with the new Standards. This is not expected to be completed until the end of 2021, so it is unlikely any changes will be proposed related to university curricula or placements for some time yet. Should Clinical Educators (CEs) be referring to the CBOS, COMPASS® or the Professional Standards when supervising students? Until advised otherwise (by SPA or universities) CEs should continue to assess students as they have done until now, using the COMPASS® or other university- prescribed tool to assess student competency. For now, universities will also continue to use the CBOS as the guiding document of entry level competency for graduates, so they may also continue to frame the learning objectives or other subject expectations of the placement experience against the CBOS. From 1 January 2021, CEs should also be guided by the new Professional Standards (SPA, 2020) when framing and modelling what they (as a practising speech pathologist) "do" in their context and role.

There are many ways CEs could do this. Some examples could include: • When describing their own speech pathology learning journey and how they continually reflect on their professional identity and skills, the CE could refer to element 2.1b of the Professional Standards "We demonstrate awareness of our personal and professional abilities and limitations and how they develop and change over time and across contexts". • A CE could also share their new knowledge following participation in a particular professional development opportunity or explain their workplace supervision structures, referring to element 2.4a "We participate in professional development, supervision and/ or mentoring to develop knowledge and skills relevant to our roles and to maintain currency". Having the Professional Standards document readily available to students will also assist them to become familiar with the content. This is important, as students transitioning to certified practising membership from 1 January 2021 will need to align their practice with the Professional Standards.

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Ethics

Foundations for decision making in professional practice

As a profession, speech pathology has a strong reputation of professionalism and integrity. The ethical values, principles and standards described in both the 2020 Code of Ethics (Code of Ethics) and the Professional Standards inform our decisions and actions as speech pathologists, and the outcome is demonstration of those attributes. The Code was formally launched on 21 October 2020, following a comprehensive review of the 2010 Code (which has been described in previous editions of Speak Out ). The launch was in the same year that a comprehensive review of CBOS was completed. It is timely for us to consider how the revised versions of these core Association documents together guide our daily decisions in professional practice. Reading and thinking about how we use the values,

principles and standards in the Code of Ethics and Professional Standards to guide our decisions can provide confidence in those decisions. Use of the two documents to guide decision making also supports us to provide benefit to our clients. This maintains trust in the value of speech pathology as well as affirming the excellent reputation of our profession. The Professional Standards describe the minimum knowledge, skills and attributes required to practice professionally, and the Code of Ethics guides decisions necessary to apply that knowledge and those skills and attributes. Both the Code of Ethics and the Professional Standards have been written in a way that supports application to professional decision making in everyday practice. For example, consider these common scenarios on the next page.

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Ethics

Section in Code of Ethics

Section in Professional Standards 2.5 We consider and integrate multiple sources of information in decision making. 1.1 a, d We understand the scope of practice for speech pathology 2.2 a Utilise scope of practice for speech pathology to inform decisions regarding PD. 2.4 a, b We engage in supervision to support reflection on practice 1.5 f, 3.5 b We use appropriate practices to record and maintain information, and use that information to inform clinical decision making.

Support for decision making

Scenario

3.2 Our professional decisions are based on evidence. 1.1 Interventions we provide must be considered within the scope of practice for the profession.

Considering whether to use a "new" intervention that does not have a lot of published evidence. Considering whether to develop skills and knowledge in a particular area of practice that has not traditionally been provided by a speech pathologist. Employee requesting supervision/employer deciding whether to provide supervision for staff member. Choosing a software system or writing a policy and procedure for record keeping.

Clear guidance regarding the need to actively consider multiple sources of information for making this decision. Consideration of any planning for skill/knowledge development must occur with reference to the scope of practice for speech pathology.

1.1 Supervision is key to engaging in lifelong learning.

Supervision is integral to lifelong learning and maintenance of ethical and professional practice. Consideration of how supervision will be accessed is crucial. Clear requirment to understand the legal and ethical obligations speech pathologists have to maintain accurate records. This supports accountability and documentation of benefit provided. Governance for business practices. Content regarding ethical and professional obligations supports difficult conversations. Demonstration of respectful and professional interactions and planning for how a conversation may occur.

2.1 & 2.2 Accuracy, currency and timeliness of record keeping is paramount, along with systems and processes to ensure informed consent has been gained and confidentiality maintained. Values,1.2, 1.3 & 2.2 Demonstrating respect and supporting dignity is central to professional practice.

1.4 b, d We are respectful and professional when working and collaborating with others.

Planning for a difficult conversation with a client or colleague, for example, if a client asks for a non EBP intervention, or an employer asks you to provide an intervention that is outside your personal competency.

available on the SPA Learning Hub . Members can also contact the ethics team at National Office to discuss ethical queries or issues, by phone or email, ethics@ speechapthologyaustralia.org.au Trish Johnson Manager Ethics and Professional Issues

Members are reminded that there are many resources, guidelines, links, FAQs and information sheets available on the website, including the ethics resources page, to support application of the Code of Ethics and Professional Standards. A one hour, self-paced learning module that introduces the 2020 Code of Ethics is

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Speak Out | February 2021

Professional practice

Support to help you meet the new professional standards

Standard 1.2. 'Comply with legislation, standards, policies and protocols' The National Code of Conduct is a minimum set of standards of conduct for all health service providers who are not regulated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including speech pathologists. The Guide to Setting up a Private Practice aims to provide speech pathologists who are interested in establishing their own private practice with information and to direct them to resources, both SPA and other, which will assist them to setup their business. SPA’s Private Speech Pathology Practice Policy and Procedure Manual has been developed for members who are working as private practitioners

The Professional Standards apply to all speech pathologists, from entry to the profession and throughout their career. The Professional Standards and the Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) 2020 Code of Ethics are integrated; they operate in parallel and in a complementary manner. National office advisors and senior advisors are available to support members to use their knowledge, skills and attributes to practise lawfully, safely, ethically and effectively throughout their career. Below are examples of some of the many supports and resources available to help you address individual elements of the Professional Standards.

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February 2021 | Speak Out