Innovation

Verbo®

2025 | Caroline McCallum

Approximately 1.9 million children have communication difficulties that impact on life outcomes such as academic attainment, employment prospects and mental health. Timely access to speech and language support is vital to change this trajectory. Trusted by over 1,000 schools and settings around the UK, Verbo’s mission is to empower education staff to enhance the communication skills of all children and young people. Verbo offers screening tools that generate personalised targets, a vast content library with interventions modelled by therapists and robust data reporting to ensure every child can maximise their potential.

Approximately 1.9 million children have communication difficulties that impact on life outcomes, such as academic attainment, employment prospects and mental health. There is currently a recruitment crisis in Speech & Language Therapy (SaLT), with a supply versus demand imbalance issue, long waiting lists and a disparity of services available for children country-wide. Timely access to speech and language support is vital to change this trajectory.

Verbo is an award-winning online SaLT toolkit that upskills education staff to deliver preventative support to children in their setting. It offers screening tools and generates personalised targets, alongside a vast content library with video modelling of interventions by SaLTs, access for parents/carers and data reporting. It has been adopted by multiple Local Authorities, ICBs, schools and SaLT services. It is trusted by over 1000 education settings across the UK. Our mission is to empower education staff to enhance the communication skills of all children and young people. Aligning with the Department for Education’s Graduated Response, the platform provides instant access to preventative care for children from age 2 years through to early adulthood. Verbo’s ready-to-go resources improve access and reduce waiting times, enabling professionals to deliver direct, impactful support in the right place at the right time.

Verbo focuses on early intervention and builds local SaLT service capacity. Empowering settings to implement support and gather data improves quality of referrals to SaLT services and for statutory funding (EHCPs). These tools enable therapists to use their time more effectively. Last academic year alone over 5000 satisfied users accessed 28,000 pieces of content, which positively impacted on staff practice. As a result, 96% of children’s targets were achieved.

Verbo strives to become the first NHS online integrated children’s toolkit. They are proud to have expanded to include Occupational Therapy content.

The Verbo team are proud to have been recognised by multiple awards:

Highly Commended for the 2023 HSJ ‘Driving Efficiency Through Technology’
Digital Leaders Social Impact Award 2023
Digital Leaders People’s Choice Award 2023
Finalist 2023 Chief AHP Officer’s Awards
Highly Commended for the 2024 HSJ ‘Reducing Health Inequalities and Improving Outcomes for CYP’