Building spaces of trust and communication in interprofessional collaborative practices–learning from Dutch and Norwegian speech, language and communication professionals

Abstract Trust and communication are vital competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) in intervention services for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). This study investigates the role of trust and communication in IPCP for the Norwegian and Dutch context, based on the framework for IPCP of Stutsky and Laschinger (2014) and with the purpose of learning from identified practices across national support services for children with SLCN. Seven professionals from Norway and five from the Netherlands participated in individual semi‐structured interviews and transcripts were investigated in a thematic analysis with a priori codes complemented by inductive analysis. The results of the study highlight the importance of integrating services at local and national levels, which has a consequential impact on professionals, teams and intervention services. Mutual understanding and professional competence were facilitated by interpersonal trust, engagement of supportive professionals, applying adapted professional language and effective communication through coaching and accessible tools. A lack of interorganisational trust and integrated support for IPCP were identified as system‐level barriers across countries. Breaking down these barriers and providing support for the joint implementation of interventions that benefit children with SLCN in ECEC requires strengthening mutual trust and communication between professionals and organisations.