HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a speech and language therapist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

'Speech and language therapist' is protected across the UK. Here is the HCPC check, the vetting check for children, and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a speech and language therapist in five steps

  1. Search the HCPC RegisterChoose 'speech and language therapist' and enter the surname. 'Speech therapist' is protected too.
  2. Describe the difficultyAge, what you have noticed, any diagnosis, and reports from school or the health visitor.
  3. Ask for the vetting checkDBS in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.
  4. Agree reports and school visits up frontThey are usually charged separately — get the price first.
  5. Practise at homeShort daily practice is where most progress happens.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

HCPC Register

'Speech and language therapist' is a protected title under the Health Professions Order 2001, so only a speech and language therapist on the HCPC Register may use it, in any UK nation. Claiming the title, or implying it, without being registered is a criminal offence (Article 39). 'Speech therapist' is protected too.

On the HCPC Register pick 'Speech and language therapist', type the surname or registration number, and confirm the entry is current before the first appointment. hcpc-uk.org →

Criminal record check for work with children

A speech and language therapist who treats children often enough is in regulated activity with children: in England and Wales that means an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list, in Scotland PVG scheme membership, in Northern Ireland an enhanced AccessNI check. A parent cannot apply for the check; the practitioner holds their own.

Ask to see the certificate or PVG proof and read the date it was issued. gov.uk →

Professional indemnity

Holding an indemnity arrangement is a condition of HCPC registration, so a registered speech and language therapist should be covered if a treatment goes wrong. It may come through an employer, a professional body or a policy of their own.

Ask the speech and language therapist how their indemnity is arranged — a clear one-line answer is what you want.

Trader status and your cancellation rights

A speech and language therapist in private practice is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies to the service. If you book a block of therapy sessions online, by phone or at home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you 14 days to cancel; if you asked for treatment to start inside those 14 days, you pay only for what you used.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and keep the booking confirmation.

VAT

Speech and language therapy is exempt from VAT only when the therapist is on the HCPC Register and the service is for health; otherwise it is standard-rated at 20%. A practice with VAT taxable turnover over £90,000 must be VAT-registered and must show VAT on its own line where it charges it.

Check the speech and language therapist on the HCPC Register, and ask whether reports for school or a tribunal carry VAT. gov.uk →

“Are you an HCPC-registered speech and language therapist?”

A good answer: Yes, with a registration number you can search on the HCPC Register.

“Do you work with this age and this difficulty?”

A good answer: Experience with your child's age and the area — speech sounds, language, stammering, swallowing, autism — or a referral.

“What does the speech and language assessment involve, and do I get a report?”

A good answer: Standardised tests and play-based observation, and a clear answer on whether a report is included.

“Will you liaise with school or nursery, and is that extra?”

A good answer: A clear speech and language therapy policy on visits and calls to school, and their price.

“How often will speech therapy sessions be, and what do we do at home?”

A good answer: A frequency that fits the goal, with home activities for parents.

“How will we measure progress?”

A good answer: Goals written in plain words and reviewed at set points.

“Which criminal record check do you hold?”

A good answer: An enhanced DBS, PVG membership or AccessNI certificate, shown with its date.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends the sessions — the HCPC-registered speech and language therapist you booked, or a colleague, employed or subcontracted
  • Assessment, session and report fees, separately
  • Charges for school visits, meetings or written evidence for an education plan
  • Travel for home or school sessions
  • The practice's VAT number, and therapy for health shown as exempt
  • How many sessions are expected before a review
  • Cancellation and missed-session terms

Walk away if

  • Not on the HCPC Register
  • No criminal record check to show for work with your child
  • Promises a fixed result by a fixed date
  • Report fees that appear only after the assessment
  • No home activities or goals
  • Will not share findings with school when you ask
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£80
HIGH
£120

What a speech and language therapist costs: £60–£120 per session

Speech and language therapists charge per session, with longer assessments, reports and school visits priced on top. Speech & Language Therapist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Speech and language therapists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Case historyDevelopment, health, hearing, and what parents and school have noticed.
  2. AssessmentFormal tests and observation through play or conversation.
  3. GoalsSpecific, plain-language goals agreed with you.
  4. TherapyRegular sessions and home activities, adjusted as the child progresses.
  5. Review and reportProgress measured against the goals; a report if agreed.

HCPC
The regulator whose Register protects 'speech and language therapist' and 'speech therapist'.
Standardised assessment
A test scored against children of the same age.
Expressive language
How a child puts words and sentences together.
Receptive language
How a child understands what is said.
Dysfluency
Stammering.
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing — specialist work for some therapists.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep every reportAssessments and reports from the speech and language therapist are evidence for school support and future therapists.
Check progress against the goalsCompare with the goals set at the start, at each review.
Ask what happens nextA break, a review date, or a plan for school to carry on.
Close the booking with a reviewReviews on Locufy come from real bookings like yours with this speech and language therapist. The make-it-right step is there first if something went wrong.

STEP 1Write to the speech and language therapist firstSay what went wrong, on which date, and what you want done. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means a speech and language therapist trading as a business must use reasonable care and skill; where the therapy fell short, section 54 lets you ask for it to be put right at no cost or for a fair cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen a booked speech and language therapist gets under four stars, you choose whether they see the problem first, and we follow it up with them. Then you review.
STEP 3A concern about a speech and language therapist's practiceThe HCPC takes concerns about registered speech and language therapists from members of the public, and investigates anyone using a protected title such as 'speech and language therapist' without being on the Register.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsA claim against a speech and language therapist for money back can go to court without a solicitor — £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a speech and language therapist: questions people ask

Yes. 'Speech and language therapist' and 'speech therapist' are protected titles in every UK nation; only HCPC registrants may use them.

For regular work with children ask for an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list in England and Wales, PVG membership in Scotland or an enhanced AccessNI check in Northern Ireland.

No, you can book directly. Bring any reports from school, nursery or the health visitor.

£60 to £120 a session, typically around £80. Assessments and written reports are usually priced separately. See the speech & language therapist price guide for what moves the figure, or search your town above to compare speech and language therapists nearby.

Not on therapy for health from a registered speech and language therapist — exempt under VAT Notice 701/57.

Tell the therapist in writing; they owe reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Concerns about practice can go to the HCPC.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: Occupational TherapistHow to hire: PhysiotherapistHow to hire: DietitianHow to hire: CounsellorHow to hire: PsychotherapistHow to hire: CBT TherapistHow to hire: Podiatrist / ChiropodistHow to hire: OsteopathAll 701 hiring guides →

Speech and language therapists near you

Speech and language therapists in LondonSpeech and language therapists in ManchesterSpeech and language therapists in BirminghamSpeech and language therapists in GlasgowSpeech and language therapists in BelfastAll speech and language therapists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — check the Register
  3. HCPC — misuse of title
  4. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  5. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  6. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  7. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  11. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  12. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.1 Meaning of a health professional; 2.3 Exempt medical services
  13. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  14. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register