WORDSWELL MEDICO-LEGAL SERVICES

Janet has been working independently as a Speech and Language Therapist since 1997 and in that time has undertaken approximately 300-400 assessments and reports and has attended in excess of 100 SENDIST hearings as an Expert Witness. She has also appeared as an Expert Witness in both Criminal and High Court proceedings for children and adult clients. Janet is happy to accept instructions for privately funded or legally aided clients and does undertake a proportion of pro bono work. Janet has been a full member of the Expert Witness Institute since May 2011.

Please contact us for Wordswell's current fees for Medico-Legal assessments and reports and see our information on helping you in Tribunal Hearings.

Registered Intermediary

The Registered Intermediary service is officially only for vulnerable victims and witnesses as the legislation only covers this group. This is managed for the Ministry of Justice by the National Police Improvement Agency who provide a matching service of intermediaries to the police and Criminal Prosecution Service.

Judges have begun to ask for intermediaries for vulnerable defendants too and the NPIA would supply them if anyone on their register was available. However, it is very tricky to establish who is paying for this service and as the number of requests for defendants has escalated so guidance has gone out to every court from the Ministry of Justice saying that the courts need to find alternative sources of unregistered intermediaries for defendants through the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice.

If you need a Registered Intermediary for a vulnerable witness or victim, the police officer or duty solicitor will need to contact the NPIA by e-mailing: enquiries@npia.pnn.police.uk or telephoning 0800 496 3322 as this is the only route to Registered Intermediaries. If you need an Intermediary for a defendant you could still contact the NPIA or Naomi Mason at www.vulnerablewitness.co.uk

Wordswell does not currently have any therapists who are Registered Intermediaries with the NPIA but Janet may be able to help as an unregistered intermediary.