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Background: The involvement of speech and language therapists (SLTs) within paediatric palliative care (PPC) settings has been recognized within the extant literature. However, there is little understanding of SLT's specific roles and practices when working with this vulnerable cohort of children and their families. As part of a larger body of work to develop consensus‐based recommendations for SLTs working in PPC, it is important to investigate demographic and caseload characteristics. Aims: This exploratory study aimed to gather previously undocumented international demographic data pertaining to SLT service provision, caseload and training in PPC. Additionally, it sought to ascertain the current treatment and assessment approaches of SLTs, and if variations exist in beliefs and practices. Methods & Procedures: An anonymous cross‐sectional survey was designed and reported according to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E‐Surveys (CHERRIES). The online survey consisted of 40 items spanning four domains: (1) demographic information, (2) caseload information, (3) service provision and (4) training and education. SLTs from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland and the United States were recruited using a purposive snowball sampling approach. Descriptive analysis of closed‐ended survey responses and content analysis of open‐ended responses are presented. Outcomes & Results: A total of 52 respondents completed the survey. SLTs worked in a variety of PPC settings, with patients of varying age and disease groups. Over 50% of participants reported working in PPC for ≤ 4 years. Genetic disorders (34%), oncology (27%) and neurological conditions (21%) made up a significant portion of respondents' caseloads. Reported treatments and assessment approaches used by SLTs are not unique to a PPC population. Barriers and enablers for practice were identified. A portion of participants did not feel trained and prepared to assess (19.2%) or treat (15.4%) PPC clients. Conclusions & Implications: This study confirms that SLTs internationally have a role in the management of communication and swallowing impairments in a PPC context. However, whether current training and resources adequately support SLTs in this role remains questionable. This paper helps to provide SLTs, administrators, professional associations and tertiary institutions with foundational data to help inform workforce planning, advocacy efforts and training priorities. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectThe published multidisciplinary literature has identified that SLTs have a role in PPC. However, there has been no targeted research investigating the professional characteristics of clinicians in this context, nor any detailed information regarding associated clinician beliefs or management approaches.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study is a snapshot of attributes, practice patterns and beliefs of SLTs who work with a PPC population. It highlights SLT perspectives of education and training, as well as meta‐perceptions of themselves within the multidisciplinary team.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?Data presented in this paper will help to enable SLTs, organizations and associations to augment service provision and determine future professional development priorities within the field of PPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although much attention has been paid in recent years to culture and diversity, cross‐lingual issues in the counselling room have not been given the consideration they deserve. This field is under‐researched in the UK, particularly from the monolingual counsellor's perspective, and often focuses on working with interpreters or addressing communication barriers. This brief study sets out to explore the experiences of monolingual therapists in the UK when working with proficient multilingual clients, trying to find out whether interventions such as 'language switching' are used therapeutically by monolinguals, and what their views are regarding supervision and training. A qualitative approach was taken, with a semi‐structured questionnaire collecting data from 50 participants. Thematic analysis was used to interpret their answers. The findings revealed that the majority of monolingual therapists had not reflected on the psychological and socio‐political implications of using English exclusively, the diverse roles of language and the specific needs of multilingual clients. The highest awareness was found among the most experienced counsellors, who perceived working with multilingual clients as an opportunity for personal and professional development and who showed as much linguistic empathy as multilingual counsellors. However, most participants placed a strong emphasis on communication barriers, which may indicate that, as counsellors, we could be overlooking the opportunities that cross‐lingual exchanges present therapeutically and, as a result, we may be failing to address the needs of multilinguals in our diverse community. The study concluded that there is a need to include this topic in counselling training and do further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]