There are four different levels of the SLCF:
Foundation, Universal, Enhanced and Specialist.

Below is a guide to the different levels and some suggested roles they may correlate to.

Foundation level

Outlines a basicawareness of SLC and SLCN, appropriate for those who may not work with children and young people as the main part of their role.
Start at this level if you:

• Come in to contact with children and young people during the course of your work but children
and young people are not the primary focus of your work
• Would like to have an increased awareness of the importance of SLC and the impact of SLCN

Universal level

Outlines the basic skills and knowledge that everyone working with children and young people should have around SLC and SLCN.
Start at this level if you:

• Already meet the Foundation level competencies
• Work directly with children and young people
• Need a general awareness of typical SLC development for your role
• Would benefit from an awareness of how to identify features of SLCN

Enhanced level

Outlines more specialised learning around supporting SLC development as well as identifying and supporting SLCN.
Start at this level if you:

• Already meet 80% or more of the competencies at the Universal level
• Support typical SLC development as part of your role
• Are likely to be involved in identifying children with SLCN and/ or work with children with SLCN

Specialist level

Outlines the skills and knowledge needed by those with a significant role in identifying and supporting children & young people with SLCN, and supporting other practitioners.
Start at this level if you:

• Already meet at least 80% competencies at the Enhanced Level
• Spend a significant amount of your working life supporting children and young people with SLCN
• Play a significant role in identifying and assessing children and young people’s SLCN
• Are likely to support other practitioners in working with children and young people with SLCN