Specialist Speech & Language Therapist

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust; Catford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organisation is looking for a qualified Speech & Language Therapist to support children with complex needs in special schools. The role involves delivering therapy, collaborating with educators, and developing individualized service plans. Candidates must have a recognised degree in Speech and Language Therapy and experience with children with disabilities. This is a full-time, permanent position with a salary range of £38,682 to £46,580 plus HCAS.

Benefits

Healthcare contribution

Continuing education opportunities

Qualifications

• Ability to support children with severe learning disabilities.
• Experience in training others in speech and language interventions.
• Knowledge of assessment tools for speech/language difficulties.

Responsibilities

• Deliver speech and language therapy to children in special schools.
• Develop and implement service plans in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Manage a caseload of children with a range of speech and language needs.

Skills

Experience with children with complex needs

Collaboration with education staff

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Education

Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree

Health Professions Council licence

Membership of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Job description

This is an ideal opportunity for those who want to develop their skills and experience in working in complex needs with children and young people with a wide range of disabilities across both primary and secondary special schools for children with severe learning disabilities. You will work alongside other Speech & Language therapists and wider MDT: providing support to children and young people with complex needs, their families and school staff; offering assessment, advice, therapy support and training in the areas of both communication and eating and drinking difficulties.

If you are committed to working in partnership with education staff and parents, enjoy working with children with complex needs (aged 4-19), while extending your specialist clinical skills and we'd love to hear from you!

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust comprise of acute and community health services for the local population. The speech and language therapy team (part of Children and Young People Therapies service) is well established with a range of therapists, support staff and administrators and has a good supervision structure and an on-going programme of in-service training.

For further information contact: Alice Gallimore Principal Speech & Language Therapist (Special Schools) 07775222737

Main duties of the job

1. Accountable to Therapies Manager
2. To contribute to the Special School over 5s aged team in developing, testing out and implementing new ways of working.
3. To ensure that the service provided is integrated (within the relevant multi/uni disciplinary care pathways), evidence based and delivered in accordance with care pathways/protocols and responsive to the needs of the local population.
4. To assess, diagnose, manage and evaluate outcomes for children and young people presenting with a range of speech, language, communication and eating and drinking difficulties some of which may be highly complex.
5. The post holder will hold an area of special interest within the profile of the clinical caseload.
6. To develop, implement and evaluate specialist teaching packages within the clinical caseload.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Job responsibilities

To contribute to the School Age care pathway in collaboration with the Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Team. Ensuring that the service provided is integrated, based on evidence/best practice, equitable, responsive to the needs of the local population and delivered in accordance with service care pathways/protocols.

To deliver speech and language therapy services to children and young people seen by the School Age Team, managing caseloads and ensuring a cohesive approach to working in schools.

To contribute to the development of service plans, team objectives, care pathways and projects, taking into account the evidence base/best practice, local and national priorities, guidelines and policies; ensuring that these remain updated.

To support the negotiation with all stakeholders, including service users, around service development and implementation especially where these may impact on other service providers/provision.

To take responsibility for problem solving and resolution of conflict/informal complaints that may arise in the course of routine service delivery with regard to own caseload and support the resolution of formal complaints in line with Trust policy and procedure.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Recognised Speech and Language Therapy Degree Qualification or equivalent
• Health Professions Council - Licence to Practice
• Registration as a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
• Experience of working with children with complex needs including severe learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, physical disabilities, sensory difficulties, profound and multiple complex needs.
• Membership of relevant Special Interest Groups
• Post graduate study relevant to the field or equivalent specialist advanced short courses
• Post graduate training in the area of dysphagia.

Experience

• Able to demonstrate some post-qualification experience working with children with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs in the context of complex needs.
• Able to demonstrate experience of working with schools and engaging them in interventions such as Alternative and Augmentative Communication, lego therapy, use of visual support, intensive interaction
• Experience of collaborative working with education staff and parents.
• Experience of training others
• Experience of using SCERTS framework with children with ASD
• Experience working with children with eating and drinking difficulties

Knowledge

• To have a working knowledge of local and national procedure and legal frameworks relevant to the service area such as The Children's and Families Bill 2014 and to demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to service delivery within specialist area
• Up to date knowledge of a range of assessments tools and intervention techniques relevant to children and young people with a variety of speech/language and communication difficulties in the context of children with complex needs and an ability to compare and contrast relative benefits using current evidence base
• Understanding of Equal Opportunities and the ability to reflect this in practice and interactions with others.

Personal Qualities

• Warm and empathetic. Flexible and adaptable to different work environments and modes of service delivery.
• Creative and innovative
• The ability to adapt communication style to suit the audience

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.

Lewisham Special Schools (Greenvale school and Watergate school)

£38,682 to £46,580 a yearper annum plus HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

197-RF7664

Job locations

Lewisham Special Schools (Greenvale school and Watergate school)