Professional Resources

A priority for Speech Pathology Australia is to support and assist its members in their professional practice. On this page is information, responses to frequently asked questions (written by the Association and Guild Insurance), and links to material about specific areas of clinical practice.

General

The following general resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Assessment Tools for Speech Pathologists
• Child Safe Standards  
• Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics
• Conflict of Interest
• First Aid
• Infection Control and Health Alerts
• National Code of Conduct
• Screening
• Professional Indemnity Insurance
• Telepractice (with informed consent form template)

Private Sector

The following private sector resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Advertising
• Closing or Selling a Practice
• Determining a Schedule of Fees
• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Speech Pathology Services
• Guide to Selling your Practice 
• Invoicing
• Managing Cancellations and No Shows
• Minimum Standards for Facilities, Equipment and Tools
• Practice Management Software, My Health Record and Secure Messaging
• Private Practitioners Working in Schools
• Retention and Storage of Clients' Credit Card Details
• Small Business Resources
• Utilising or Managing a Waiting List
• Vaccination status

Clinical Resources

The following clinical resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Developmental Language Disorder 
• DSM-5 Update
• Dysphagia  (Learn more about Modified Foods and Fluids Terminology)
• National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of ASD 
• Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD)    
• Restrictive Practice
• Tongue Tie and Other Oral Ties. 

Earnings, Employment and Contracts

The following earnings, employment contracts resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Awards, Wages and Employment Conditions
• Employment/Contractor Contracts for Private Practice
• Employee vs Contractor
• Productivity
• Restraint of Trade
• Workers’ Compensation Insurance. 

Clinical Records and Reporting

The following clinical records and reporting resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Clinical Records (Produced by Guild Insurance)
• Clinical Record Keeping in Facilities
• Guide to Report Writing
• Health Records
• Second Opinions and Independent Reviews
• Retention Requirements of Health Records.

Digital Health and My Health Record

• Digital health information for allied health practitioners (Produced by Allied Health Professions Australia)
• Resources about digital health and My Health Record (Produced by Allied Health Professions Australia) 
• This includes a:
•  - Guide for connecting with My Health record for self-regulating health professionals.
•  - Digital Health Toolkit to help allied health professions understand and interact with digital health platforms such as My Health Record and secure messaging.
•  - Digital health policy and procedure templates; and
•  - Digital Health Inclusion Tool to help members assess their own understanding of these technologies and determine how they would benefit their practice and clients.

Legal Information

The following legal information resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Appearing as a Court Witness 
• Cloud Based Storage and Privacy 
• Compliance with Parenting Orders 
• Data Breach and Privacy
• Gaining consent and sharing information when parents are separated 
• Mandatory Reporting
• Medico-legal Report Writing 
• Victorian Health Complaints Act (2016) (Produced by Meridan Lawyers)
• What to do if I receive a Subpoena?
• Working with Children and Police Checks
• Introduction for Speech Pathologists to a Coronial Inquest 

NDIS

Learn more about the NDIS...

Risk Management

The following risk management resources are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Communication: Managing expectations in order to reduce complaints (Produced by Guild Insurance)  
• Ending a therapeutic relationship – Speech pathology (Produced by Guild Insurance) 
• Facebook: risks in speech pathology practice (Produced by Guild Insurance) 
• Providing Therapy to a Child when the Parent is Absent (Produced by Guild Insurance) 
• Sharing and obtaining advice on social media  (Produced by Guild Insurance)  
• Social Media, Understanding the Risk (Produced by Guild Insurance) 
• Risk Management Safety Tool (Produced by Guild Insurance) 
• When Clients See Multiple Speech Pathologists (Produced by Guild Insurance) 

Working with others

The following resources for working with others are available for members only. (View other Member Benefits).

• Allied Health Assistants
• Clinical Education
• Dual Servicing in Speech Pathology
• Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy
• Using Interpreters 
• Work Experience Students in Your Practice
• Working rurally and remotely 
• Volunteering.
• Challenging Conversations