Children's Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust; Margate; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Speech and Language Therapist to work across early years and school years. The role focuses on AAC and dysphagia with access to supervision and specialist development, in a hybrid working pattern across Canterbury/Thanet clinics and community settings.

You will provide assessment, planning and intervention for children and young people, develop integrated care plans with families, and work within an MDT to deliver high-quality care.

Qualifications

• Experience/interest in supporting AAC and dysphagia.
• Experience with children 0–19 and school/early years settings.
• Willingness to work in a hybrid pattern and develop specialist skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan and implement SLT interventions focusing on AAC and dysphagia.
• Deliver evidence-based SLT interventions to children to meet health outcomes.
• Develop integrated care plans with child/family across universal, targeted and specialist levels.
• Participate in clinical supervision and work within an integrated Therapy team and MDT.
• Support colleagues across therapies and care pathways in line with our care pathways.
• Manage a caseload of children with complex needs on a daily basis.

Skills

AAC the Interventions

Dysphagia

Pediatric SLT

Clinical supervision

MDT collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Speech & Language Therapy

Job description

The Children’s Therapies Team is an integrated therapies team providing Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, supported by Specialist Nurse Advisors and Care Co‑ordinators to children 0 – 19 years within KCHFT. We have an exciting opportunity for a full time Band 6 post on a permanent basis working across our early years and School Years teams.

We are looking for a therapist who has experience/an interest in supporting AAC and dysphagia in a range of environments and is keen to develop their specialist skills. We would consider this as a developing specialist post. We have clinics across a range of venues in Canterbury / Thanet. We provide support to preschool children primarily through our Talking Walk‑in model and primary, secondary and special schools across the East locality. KCHFT works within a Balanced System framework including the link therapist model.

You will provide advice, coaching, assessment and intervention to children and young people with a range of language and communication needs including AAC, social communication, language, speech, fluency, selective mutism and dysphagia. You will be supported by clinical specialists with access to regular supervision and learning opportunities to develop and consolidate your skills.

We currently offer a hybrid work pattern for staff with face to face sessions offered from clinics and within the community and also sessions worked remotely from home.

• To assess, plan and implement SLT interventions that support children with a range of speech language and communication needs with a focus on AAC and dysphagia.
• To deliver evidence-based SLT interventions for children that support them achieving their identified health outcomes.
• To develop integrated care plans in partnership with the child, young person and / or family recommending and supporting interventions that are appropriate at a universal, targeted and specialist level.
• To participate in clinical supervision and to work as part of an integrated team with Therapy Assistants, OTs, PTs, SLTs, Care Co‑ordinators and Specialist Nurse Advisors offering support to colleagues as appropriate to knowledge and skills.
• To actively work as a member of a multi disciplinary and multi-agency teams to provide high quality care to children and young people in line with our care pathways.
• To manage a caseload of children that on a daily basis that includes children and young people with complex needs.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.

We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.

We know life outside work matters. As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.

Explore KCHFT career pathways

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Lindsey Tilley Job title: Locality Clinical Manager Email address: [e-mail]