Speech and Language Therapy Associate Practitioner

NHS; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity to join the Community Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy team in Peterborough. The role involves working with children with communication difficulties, requiring strong interpersonal skills and flexibility. Ideal candidates will have relevant qualifications and experience in a similar setting.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with young children.
• Understanding of speech, language and communication disorders.

Responsibilities

• Support Paediatric Speech and Language Therapists in care management.
• Carry out intervention programmes with children.
• Monitor children's progress and provide feedback.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Problem Solving

Education

5 GCSEs level A-C or equivalent

Elklan level 3 or NVQ level 3

Tools

Microsoft Office

SystmOne

Job description

Go back Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Speech and Language Therapy Associate Practitioner

The closing date is 21 May 2025

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to join our Community Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy team based within Peterborough. We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated person to join our friendly, dedicated, and supportive team. If you are someone with experience of working with children, strong communication and interpersonal skills and enjoy working flexibly within various teams, we would love to hear from you.The Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy Service is a 0-19 service which assesses, supports, and provides therapy to children with speech, language, communication and feeding difficulties. We are happy to consider part-time and flexible working patterns. There may be an option for some home working. For the right candidate we could also consider professional development through an Associate Practitioner Apprenticeship.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website

Main duties of the job

o To support the Paediatric Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) in the management & co-ordination of care for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).o To work in a variety of settings with children from pre-school to 18 years of age (19 if in a Special educational setting).

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

1. To carry out intervention programmes with children under the direction of the SLT, including individual and group therapy and to make modifications as necessary for the child or circumstances.2. To work, where necessary, without immediate access to a qualified SLT. To plan routine activities and give advice and information in line with service guidelines. This includes children of pre-school and school age on the community caseload, also special school and clinics as required.3. To monitor the childrens progress and recognise when to discuss any changes with the SLT (apart from discussions already scheduled)4. To make observations about childrens communication skills and responses to activities and to feed these back to the SLT in order to assist in assessment and therapy5. To contribute to the training of staff and families in a variety of settings.6. To support the therapists in specific pieces of work in order that interventions such as Alternative and Augmentative Communication strategies (AAC) are used at home.7. To support qualified practitioners at drop-in clinics to give advice and identify next steps for parents or professionals concerned about childrens speech and language development.8. To carry out clerical and administrative tasks supporting the delivery of clinical work. These may include arranging appointments, data collection and entry (manually and/or using IT), filing, photocopying, making resources and typing treatment plans9. To ensure that agreed data is collected and entered onto the SLT database10. To organise and prepare treatment materials, including communication aids11. To use IT resources to support administrative tasks (e.g. e-mail, internet)

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

• 5 GCSEs level A-C or equivalent, including English
• Elklan level 3 or NVQ level 3 or equivalent relevant experience
• Standard keyboard skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office applications in particular, Word and Excel
• Ongoing professional development including relevant short courses or experience to diploma level

Experience

• Experience of working with young children
• Experience of working with children with special needs
• Experience of working as part of a team and evidence of being a good team player
• Understanding of the personal and social implications of speech, language and communication disorders
• Experience using coaching skills
• Experience working with the public, either face to face or by telephone
• Experience with using SystmOne or alternative electronic record keeping system
• Experience of writing progress notes
• Experience of working within the educational system
• Experience of working alongside a speech and language therapist or carrying out speech and language interventions / advice
• Experience working with an interpreter or working with someone with English as an additional language
• Experience carrying out or supporting an audit or an improvement project

Knowledge & Skills

• Good organisation, time management and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to use own initiative and to work independently
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team.
• Ability to problem solve
• Knowledge of Makaton signing
• Understanding of the SALTAP role and how they work together with speech and language therapists
• Ability to adapt communication style / type to ensure that it is accessible for their communication partner

Personal Qualities

• Has a realistic knowledge of personal strengths and areas for development
• Can demonstrate flexibility of approach
• Shows respect for others' feelings, views and circumstances
• Able to respond to constructive criticism
• Understands, promotes, and advocates for equality and diversity and demonstrates inclusion through interaction with individuals

Other

• Able to work on the floor or on small chairs with children
• Full driving license and would be able to travel independently around Peterborough

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.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

£26,530 to £29,114 a yearper annum pro rata