Senior Assistant Practitioner

Kent Community Health Nhs Foundation Trust; Margate, Dartford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Part time

Job summary

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is inviting applications for two Band 4 Therapy Assistant posts linked to the ELIM tool to support early identification of SLCN in children within Kent’s Health Visiting teams.

Roles are part-time, with 0.6 WTE in Thanet and 0.5 WTE in Dartford and Sevenoaks. Mentoring is provided by the Children’s Therapies team; driving may be required for community work.

Qualifications

• Essential: Foundation Degree Level 5.
• Essential: Literacy and numeracy Level 2 (GCSE A-C in English & Maths).
• Desirable: Mentorship/Coaching qualification.

Responsibilities

• Co-deliver early intervention packages to families.
• Collaborate with SPHAs and PHAs to support reviews.
• Liaise with Health Visiting and Children’s Therapies teams.
• Maintain flexible delivery and accurate record-keeping.

Skills

Communication skills

Organisational skills

IT literacy

Education

Foundation Degree Level 5

Literacy & Numeracy Level 2

Tools

Microsoft Office

Rio

E-Pay

E-roster

TAPs

Job description

Job summary

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.

We have an exciting opportunity for two Band 4 Therapy Assistant posts linked to the Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM) tool. You will be working with the Health Visiting team following the 2 - 2 1/2 year health and wellbeing reviews across Kent to support early identification of and intervention for speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

The post holder will deliver the early intervention targeted package with parents/carers of children identified by the tool. You will also work in close liaison with the Senior Public Health Assistants (SPHAs) and Public Health Assistants (PHAs) who deliver the reviews. These are part time posts. Mentoring and supervision will be provided by the Children's Therapies team.

There are the two posts available: Thanet district (0.6 WTE) 3 days/week; Dartford and Sevenoaks districts (0.5 WTE) 2.5 days/week

Please note, this vacancy does not meet the criteria for skilled worker sponsorship and therefore, we are unable to accept applications from candidates that cannot provide documentary evidence of right to work in the United Kingdom.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be working within children's services already, have an understanding of local offers and demonstrate experience working within SLCN. Including:

• Working with parents and families of pre‑school aged children with SLCN
• Experience of coaching and empowering parents to support their child's speech, language and communication (SLC) within the home environment and in everyday activities
• The communication skills to work in partnership with parents, Health Visiting, Early years staff and Children's Therapies
• The ability to organise and plan their time to deliver intervention packages flexibly to meet the individual needs and be efficient with record keeping

Staff will be required to work in the community such as within Family Hubs and Health centres. Having local knowledge of the wider system to signpost families is desirable.

About us

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.

Salary

£28,392 to £31,157 a year per annum pro rata (Band 4, Agenda for Change)

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Closing date

02 November 2026

Job responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non‑EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail], quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Evidence of Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5); Functional Skills at Level 2 (Literacy and numeracy/ GCSE grade A-C or equivalent in English and Maths)

Desirable

• Mentorship / Coaching qualification

Experience

Essential

• Good experience as a Senior Healthcare worker; Experience of working as part of a team; Experience with the use of Microsoft Office and a variety of IT packages (E-Pay / E-roster / TAPs / Rio)

Desirable

• Experience of community environment

Knowledge

Essential

• Awareness of professional issues and recent developments in the NHS and Primary Care including Clinical Governance, NICE, Essence of Care; Knowledge of up to date clinical practice; Understands the role and remit of a Band 4

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Sound communication and interpersonal skills (verbal and written); Ability to organise own work; Ability to cope with change; Ability to use own initiative; Moderate IT skills

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice; Ability to work under pressure

Ability to Manage

Essential

• Able to support the implementation of local and national agenda's for health under the guidance of the Registered Practitioner; Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and procedures; Ability to manage own time effectively

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, Greenbanks, Margate and Dartford, CT9 5PA, United Kingdom. Website: https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/

Contact

Children's Lead SLT-Early Years Systems, Helen Caiels, [e-mail]

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