Speak Out June 2021

Reflections from SPA working group members

Advice to other members in contributing to SPA/ national wide project Do it, ask heaps of questions, share with other people why you’re there and what you do! Hannah Clarke - Education Specialist, Anglicare Victoria What encouraged you to apply to

When the Association advocates and campaigns on behalf of the profession, it does so confident in the knowledge that it represents the views and interests of the overwhelming majority of speech pathologists in Australia. As part of this process and to ensure the voice of our members are heard, we often have opportunities for members to be part of working parties and advisory groups. It is with this support and ongoing commitment from our members that we are able to facilitate new initiatives and projects within a range of practice areas. An example is the current the Speech Pathology in Education Working Party established in January 2020. The aim of the working party is to review the speech pathology services in schools practice documents. Below we hear from two members of this working party who embarked on their first project with Speech Pathology Australia. We encourage anyone interested in being involved in these initiatives to apply when the opportunities arise. Elizabeth Bell – Therapy Manager, Learning Links, NSW What encouraged you to apply to be on the working party?

be on the working group? I was encouraged to join the working group so that I could learn from others, and contribute to a really meaningful piece of work that would ultimately help speech pathologists better support young people across a range of education settings all around Australia. What did you expect?

I had never done anything like this before, so I can honestly say I didn’t have any expectations heading into the role. What I had some idea about was the time commitment and about the project we were working on. It’s fair to say I was excited but also a little unsure as to how it would all work! What learnings you’ve had? I’ve learned from the contributions of the other members of the working party, and their depth of experience. Education is multi-faceted and dynamic, and one of the things I was reminded of throughout the process was the importance of hearing and including a broad range of voices across the education spectrum in the development of the document. I was encouraged by the diversity of the working group members. Everyone brought their own experiences, insights, and perspectives to the table, all of which shaped the structure and content of the document. While at times many different voices could be overwhelming, the process was managed well and, as a result, the final product is representative and thorough. Advice to other members in contributing to SPA/ national wide projects My encouragement would be that no matter how experienced you are, or what sector you work in, you have things to say and you can contribute. Our profession is diverse and we need many voices to ensure that diversity is represented!

I hadn’t previously been involved in many SPA activities before, but this was so relevant to my work and my team that I wanted to be right in the thick of it! I went into this hoping to learn from other professionals in the field as well. I don’t have a lot of experience or confidence in the field of research and I thought it would be

a great way to connect with other people and bring back to my team, and organisation the most recent and up-to-date evidence and recommendations about working in schools. What did you expect? Honestly I had no idea! I wasn’t sure of the other people that would be involved (but was certain they’d be more qualified than me for the job!). The time commitments were easy to manage and the flexibility of having meetings over Zoom was great. What learnings you’ve had? It’s such a valuable experience to work with and learn from people in different positions, clinical settings and states across Australia. This kind of project and team really brings together researchers, academics and clinicians. It’s been so great to work with and learn from experts and their amazing brains!

51

June 2021 | Speak Out