Equity and access to services for children with language difficulties

Book Chapter ResearchOnline@JCU
Reilly, Sheena;Law, James;Conway, Maya;Krahe, Michelle
Abstract

Care injustice, sometimes termed the ‘postcode lottery’ arises when individuals cannot access services simply because of where they reside. The distribution and access to health and education services for children with language difficulties is explored in this chapter. There is a body of literature demonstrating that service availability and accessibility can differ markedly between metropolitan and rural settings. Here, we draw on available evidence to discuss the relationship between health inequities and inequalities, proposing a place-based approach as a potential solution, which encourages the location and distribution of services based on community need. This chapter also addresses the way in which many services have been historically developed, that is, along the traditional ‘clinical’ model rather than a model which considers and reviews the needs of a community from a population health perspective and likely needs of the child population. We conclude by highlighting some key steps that need to be taken to ensure the design and delivery of services to meet the future needs of the population, and outline some of the challenges in adopting this approach.

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Language Development: Individual Difference in a Social Context

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ISBN/ISSN

9781108643719

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Pages Count

22

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Publisher

Cambridge University Press

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Publisher Location

Cambridge, UK

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DOI

10.1017/9781108643719.027